DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the cost of the UK's mission to Afghanistan was funded from  (a) contingency reserve funds and  (b) other sources in 2007-08.

Bob Ainsworth: The net additional cost of military operations is funded from the Reserve. For the financial year 2007-08 this amounted to £1.504 billion for Afghanistan. Costs that the Department would have incurred anyway, such as wages and salaries, are not included and are met from the core Defence budget. Savings on activities that have not occurred because of the operation, such as training exercises, are taken into account in arriving at the net claim on the Reserve.
	In addition to the cost of military operations there is separate funding for various activities in Afghanistan aimed at promoting peace and stability. In 2007-08 these activities were carried out by the Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the Ministry of Defence under the auspices of the Global Conflict Prevention Pool, which is not part of the Defence budget. These activities amounted to approximately £147 million.
	Given the number of Departments involved in our activities in Afghanistan, I am unable to express my Department's spending in percentage terms.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of all Urgent Operational Requirements for expenditure in Afghanistan in the year 2007-08 was funded from  (a) the contingency reserve and  (b) his Department's core budget.

Bob Ainsworth: The net additional cost of military operations, including that for Urgent Operational Requirements (UORs) for theatre-specific equipment, is funded in-year from the Treasury Reserve. For financial year 2007-08 one hundred percent of expenditure on UORs was funded from the Treasury Reserve.

Armed Forces: Estonia

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what visits were made to Estonia by  (a) units and  (b) personnel of HM armed forces in 2009.

Bill Rammell: HMS Illustrious was the only unit to visit Estonia, in June 2009. There were a number of HM armed forces visits made during the course of the year which are listed as follows:
	
		
			  Representatives from  Visiting/Reason  Date 
			 The Surgeon General's Department Estonian Surgeon General March 
			 MOD Head Office Personnel Estonian Co-operative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence June, August and September 
			 Permanent Joint Headquarters, supported by the Royal Air Force Estonian Defence Forces May and November 
			 Royal Navy Estonian Navy September 
			 Army Attending a Remembrance service of a soldier killed in Afghanistan August 
			 Royal Air Force Fly-past for Estonian Victory Parade June 
			 Royal Air Force Training Flights August and October

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many of his Department's properties managed by Modern Housing Solutions have reached the EcoHomes06 standard of  (a) pass,  (b) good,  (c) very good and  (d) excellent;
	(2)  what recent estimate he has made of the cost to Modern Housing Solutions of upgrading properties it manages under contract to his Department to the energy efficiency standards laid out in the EcoHomes06 sustainability model.

Kevan Jones: Given that the Ministry of Defence has only recently started to use the EcoHomes06 standard for major Service Family Accommodation (SFA) improvement projects in England and Wales, no data are yet available. Work to verify assessments for recently completed upgrade projects is under way. No assessment has been made of the cost to upgrade all SFA to the EcoHomes06 standard.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints were received by Amec Turner about accommodation for service personnel and their families in each of the last 12 months.

Kevan Jones: Turner Estates Solutions took over responsibility for repair call outs in Scotland from Amec Turner in December 2007. During the past 12 months they have received the following complaints about accommodation (both single living and family):
	
		
			  Month  Number of complaints 
			 January 12 
			 February 11 
			 March 8 
			 April 12 
			 May 8 
			 June 2 
			 July 2 
			 August 1 
			 September 4 
			 October 3 
			 November 5 
			 December 1 
			 Total 69

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many requests for repair call-outs were received by Amec Turner in each of the last 12 months.

Kevan Jones: Turner Estates Solutions took over responsibility for repair call outs in Scotland from Amec Turner in December 2007. During the last 12 months they have received the following repair call-outs:
	
		
			  Month  Number of repair call outs 
			 January 4,715 
			 February 4,037 
			 March 4,471 
			 April 2,926 
			 May 3,999 
			 June 3,111 
			 July 3,166 
			 August 4,105 
			 September 3,308 
			 October 3,742 
			 November 5,065 
			 December (1)- 
			 Total 42,645 
			 (1) Not available until end of January 2010 
		
	
	This covers the whole of Regional Prime Contract Scotland, including accommodation, both single living and family, and other properties.

Armed Forces: Pensions

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what effect the negative level of retail price index inflation in September 2009 will have on the level of armed forces pensions in the next 12 months.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 11 January 2010
	Public service pension upratings are linked by primary legislation to those for additional state pensions, such as the state second pension, and the uprating in April 2010 will take account of the rate of inflation over the year to September 2009. As announced at the pre-Budget report 2008, legislation governing uprating for additional state pensions means that in the event of a negative Retail Price Index (RPI), benefit rates will be protected at least in nominal terms (i.e. not reduced on account of deflation), thereby providing an increase in support in real terms. The RPI change for September 2009 was minus 1.4 per cent., so benefits will remain at current levels.

Armed Forces: Vehicles

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect of deferring the Operational Utility Vehicle System programme for two years; and what assessment he has made of the likely trends in  (a) production and  (b) deployment of small and medium support vehicles during that period.

Quentin Davies: The deferral of the Operational Utility Vehicle System (OUVS) competition will give the MOD the opportunity to consider the latest products from industry, including those from the companies that withdrew from the original OUVS competition. This will allow the MOD to determine the best method of delivering an operational utility vehicle capability for the future. During the period of the two year deferral, the Tactical Support Vehicles purchased as Urgent Operational Requirements will fulfil the OUVS role in Afghanistan. The Department will conduct a thorough review of the commercial and acquisition strategy for OUVS during 2010. This will consider production and delivery schedules, and the capability requirement informed by our operational experience.

Baltic States: Military Aircraft

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what air policing cover is in place to assist in fulfilling NATO's commitment to the Baltic states.

Bob Ainsworth: The Baltic states receive the same level of protection and security as all NATO nations. They provide their own Air Surveillance and Command and Control capabilities to support the air policing mission. Fighter aircraft are generated and deployed to the Baltic states by other NATO nations.

Departmental ICT

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cases of computer  (a) hacking,  (b) fraud and  (c) theft his Department recorded in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: The MOD takes any attacks on, or misuse of, its information networks and associated media storage devices very seriously and has robust procedures in place to militate against and investigate such occurrences. Furthermore, new processes, instructions and technological aids are continually being implemented to mitigate human errors and raise the awareness of every individual in the Department with regards to cyber security.
	It is not in the public interest or in the interests of the UK's national security for this Department to release any information regarding any hacking attempts on its IT systems as this would enable individuals to deduce how successful these efforts are against the network and so assist such persons in establishing the effectiveness of the UK's IT defences.
	Within the MOD, there have been no recorded incidents of the perpetration of fraud where an IT system was a material factor. Although a number of suspected incidents have been investigated, statistics relating to those submitted on-line via IT-based systems could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The following table shows the number of official issued desktops and laptops centrally reported as stolen from the Department from 2005 to 2009. Figures will continue to be adjusted to incorporate subsequent recoveries of items and the reporting of additional thefts and subsequent clarification of historical incidents. The following figures reflect the latest data held as of 14 January 2010.
	
		
			  Stolen computers 2005 to 2009 
			   Desktop  Laptop 
			 2009 20 78 
			 2008 9 87 
			 2007 13 101 
			 2006 28 170 
			 2005 27 130 
			 Total 97 566

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what allowances are available to be paid to witnesses called to give oral evidence to the Iraq Inquiry.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 6 January 2010,  Official Report, column 430W, to the hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski).

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 6 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 453-55W, on military aircraft: helicopters, what estimate he has made of the cost of extending the service life of the  (a) Merlin Mk3,  (b) Merlin Mk3a,  (c) Sea King Mk4,  (d) Sea King Mk7,  (e) Apache,  (f) Chinook Mk2 and  (g) Chinook Mk2a; and when he expects a decision to be made on such an extension in each case.

Quentin Davies: It is not until Main Gate approval for specific upgrades has been obtained that their content, value and time scales can be confirmed.

NATO Defence College: Overseas Aid

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) financial and  (b) other assistance the UK is providing to the NATO Defence College in Estonia.

Bill Rammell: The Baltic Defence College in Estonia is a co-operative project between the three Baltic States, and not a NATO institution. NATO does, however, accredit the college's higher command studies course (HCSC). The UK supports the college through provision of a team of three people from the defence science and technology laboratory for one week each year at a cost of £11,000. The team provides instructional support and mentoring for a force planning exercise as part of the HCSC.

Nuclear Submarines

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost is of developing the  (a) platform and  (b) propulsion system for the successor submarine to Trident.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 July 2009,  Official Report, column 19W, to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Carmichael).

Paul and Rachel Chandler

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what discussions he had with the Chief of Joint Operations on possible rescue operations in relation to Paul and Rachel Chandler on 23 October 2009;
	(2)  what instructions he gave to the Royal Navy on possible rescue operations in relation to Paul and Rachel Chandler on 23 October 2009;
	(3)  what protocols were used in the decision in respect of a rescue operation in relation to Paul and Rachel Chandler on 23 October 2009.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 6 January 2010
	I will write to the hon. Member.

Rescue Services: Helicopters

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the private finance initiative between his Department and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to provide search and rescue capability; how many new search and rescue helicopters this initiative will provide; and when he expects such helicopters to enter into service.

Quentin Davies: The new helicopters will enter service in 2012 when the new service begins by taking over sites currently operated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and working around each base in turn to ensure continuity of service. The transition of all 12 sites will be completed in 2016. The competition is ongoing and the detailed transition plan and number of aircraft supporting the new service have yet to be finalised.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Elections: Fraud

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what steps the Electoral Commission has taken  (a) to reduce electoral fraud and  (b) to increase levels of voter registration in each year since the Electoral Administration Act 2006 came into effect.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that in each year since the Electoral Administration Act 2006 came into effect, it has worked with Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Returning Officers and police forces to establish a network of Single Point of Contact officers in every police force, deliver national training seminars for police forces and electoral administrators and provide regular opportunities to share information and good practice on combating electoral fraud.
	In addition, the Commission informs me that it has published guidance for electoral administrators and police forces in association with the Association of Chief Police Officers on preventing and detecting electoral malpractice, and has also set and monitored performance standards for EROs and Returning Officers on how to monitor and manage the risk of electoral fraud. The Commission also works with ACPO to collect and analyse data from police forces across Great Britain on cases and allegations of electoral malpractice.
	The Commission further informs me that in each year since the Electoral Administration Act came into effect it has carried out public information campaigns to encourage voter registration. These focus on a number of under-registered groups, including people who have recently moved home, certain ethnic minority communities, students and young adults.
	The Commission also informs me that it sets performance standards for EROs that aim to improve the completeness and accuracy of the register. It provides guidance and support to help EROs reach these standards.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon (Mr. Streeter), representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what recent assessment the Electoral Commission has made of progress in increasing the number of voters registered in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Gary Streeter: The Commission informs me that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects and publishes annual electoral registration data showing the number of entries on the local government and parliamentary registers. The most recent figures are for the electoral registers on 1 December 2008 and show an increase in the number of entries on the registers since 1 December 2007, as shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Type of election  Entries on the electoral registers-December 2007  Entries on the electoral registers-December 2008  Increase  Percentage increase 
			 Local government 45,920,503 46,147,877 227,374 0.5 
			 Parliamentary 45,082,854 45,194,449 111,595 0.2 
		
	
	The ONS is due to publish figures for the 1 December 2009 electoral registers in February 2010.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Buildings

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the  (a) area and  (b) estimated value is of (i) vacant and (ii) occupied office space (A) owned and (B) rented by his Department.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office leases its premises at Dover House, London and Melville Crescent, Edinburgh. The office occupies a floor area of 927.5m(2) in Dover House and 694m(2) in Melville Crescent. Both buildings provide non-standard office accommodation and have listed building status. They provide both office space as well as accommodation that can be used for hosting events.
	Information on the value of the premises leased is a matter for the owners of the accommodation.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many iPODs have been bought by his Department since 2005; and at what cost.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office has not bought any iPODs.

Departmental Food

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the quantity of food waste generated by his Department in each year for which figures are available.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office has no in-house canteen or other catering facilities so therefore does not routinely generate food waste.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Clergy: Misconduct

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 497W, on clergy: misconduct, what his policy is on initiating discussions on the report of the commission of inquiry with each of the parties specified in the question; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: I have written to the Northern Ireland Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety to say that I stand ready to assist him in any way possible to progress this matter and that I am available to meet with him should he wish to do so.
	This is also my position in respect of the Irish Government although I have not received any representations from it.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Greg Hands: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many iPODs have been bought by the Government Equalities Office since its establishment; and at what cost.

Michael Jabez Foster: Since its creation on 12 October 2007, the Government Equalities Office has not purchased any iPODS.

Departmental Internet

David Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what redesigns of websites operated by her Office have taken place since 27 June 2007; and what the  (a) cost to the public purse and  (b) date of completion of each such redesign was.

Michael Jabez Foster: The Government Equalities Office website was redesigned once in 2008.
	 (a) the cost was £46,737.99
	 (b) the date of completion was 21 December 2008.

Departmental Procurement

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will place in the Library a copy of the standard template contract for the provision of  (a) goods and  (b) services used by the Government Equalities Office.

Michael Jabez Foster: Copies of the General Conditions of Contract for Services and the Short Form of Conditions for Contracts for Goods and Services have been placed in the Library.

Departmental Surveys

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will place in the Library a copy of the results from her Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey to her Department was.

Michael Jabez Foster: The Government Equalities Office undertook its last staff survey in November 2009 as part of a cross-Government initiative and we expect to receive our results on 28 January 2010. Following internal analysis and communication we will publish our results together with any improvement steps on our external GEO website. ORC International undertook the cross-Government survey and we are yet to receive our invoice; we have estimated the cost at £13,000.

Employment: Bullying

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality with reference to the answer of 11 November 2009,  Official Report, column 378W, on dignity at work, and page 12 of the Dignity and Respect at Work policy, what is included in her Department's definition of non-verbal conduct that may constitute sexual harassment in the workplace.

Michael Jabez Foster: Within the Dignity and Respect at Work policy we have provided examples of the types of non-verbal conduct that may constitute sexual harassment in the workplace. We do not intend this list to be exhaustive as it should cover any type of behaviour or action which is not spoken which an individual finds offensive. The examples in the policy are: pin-up calendars; sexually explicit materials; pornography; computer pornography; sexual graffiti.

Local Government: Human Rights

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what the  (a) title and  (b) remit is of each individual project being undertaken as part of the Human Rights and Local Government Project; and when each individual report will be published.

Michael Jabez Foster: The Human Rights and Local Government Project is run by the British Institute of Human Rights with the Local Government Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) and is not a project of the Government Equalities Office or Government.

Olympic Games: Canada

Don Foster: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from her Office are planning to attend the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in February 2010; and what estimate she has made of the cost of such attendance.

Michael Jabez Foster: No Ministers or officials are planning to attend.

Pay: Derbyshire

Paul Holmes: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent assessment she has made of the gender pay gap in Derbyshire.

Maria Eagle: The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2009 showed that the gender pay gap, comparing the median hourly earnings of all men and women, was: 23.5 per cent. for Derbyshire; 23.3 per cent. for the east midlands; and 22.0 per cent. for the UK as a whole.
	For full-time employees, the pay gap for Derbyshire is 13.5 per cent. For part-time employees the pay gap is -4.3 per cent., i.e. male part-time employees are paid less than female part-time employees.
	The overall national pay gap has fallen from 27.5 per cent. in 1997 to 22.0 per cent. in 2009, but more progress is needed and the Equality Bill includes tough measures to improve gender pay transparency.

Religious Buildings: Registration

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 7 January 2010,  Official Report, column 524W, on religious buildings: registration, what the policy of the Government Equalities Office is on the application of the 1970 Court of Appeal Segerdal case to public authorities in respect of religious worship which does not involve reverence to a deity.

Michael Jabez Foster: Domestic discrimination, for which the Government Equalities Office is responsible, defines religion or belief as
	"any religion or any religious or philosophical belief or any lack of such religion or belief".
	The question of whether any exemption from paying rates on a building which may be a place of public religious worship, which is what the Segerdal case is concerned with, remains a matter for the Valuation Office Agency and will be unaffected by the provisions of discrimination law.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Better Off in Work Credit Guarantee

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to her Department's White Paper on Building Britain's Recovery, what estimate she has made of the number of people who would be eligible for each benefit under the better off in work credit guarantee; and if she will place in the Library a copy of the financial modelling undertaken by or on behalf of her Department in respect of this policy.

Jim Knight: Under the current tax and benefit systems, the combination of the minimum wage, tax credits and other targeted support such as the in work credit and return to work credit provide gains to work in excess of £40 a week for the vast majority of individuals.
	As a consequence, when the better off in work credit (BWC) is rolled out nationally, of those who move from benefits to work in each year, we expect only a small minority-no more than around 100,000 a year-to qualify for the BWC.
	Most recipients of BWC are likely to be under the age of 50 and in receipt of jobseeker's allowance. Some customers will also be in receipt of support for mortgage interest payments.
	A copy of the White Paper, Building Britain's Recovery: Achieving Full Employment, is in the Library. The impact assessment for the White Paper explains the fiscal and economic costs and benefits of introducing the BWC. A copy of the impact assessment has been placed in the Library.

Carer's Allowance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to her Department's White Paper on Building Britain's Recovery, what estimate she has made of the number of recipients of carer's allowance likely to be affected by an increase in the earnings limit; and when she expects to implement this policy.

Jonathan R Shaw: The carer's allowance earnings limit will be increased from £95 to £100 in April 2010. In the impact assessment published alongside the Employment White Paper 'Building Britain's Recovery: Achieving Full Employment', we estimated that up to 40,000 carer's allowance recipients could benefit.

Council Tax Benefits: Automated Credit Transfer

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what timetable has been set for implementation of the recommendations of the Lyons Inquiry into Local Government on an automated system of payment of council tax benefit to pensioners.

Helen Goodman: In the longer term, we want to ensure that council tax benefit is delivered as accessibly, simply and securely as possible. We are continuing to research how better use could be made of data to identify those who are eligible for council tax benefit, and deliver their entitlement more proactively. This includes assessing the feasibility of using data shared with local authorities in order to build up profiles of people likely to be entitled to council tax benefit but not claiming.

Incapacity Benefit

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) incapacity benefit and  (b) employment and support allowance claimants there were in Lewes constituency on the latest date for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  The number of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance and employment and support allowance claimants in Lewes parliamentary constituency-May 2009 
			   Number 
			 Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance 2,330 
			 Employment and support allowance 290 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload has been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Data published at www.nomisweb.co.uk (incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance) and http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp (incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance and employment and support allowance). 3. Employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Incapacity Benefit: Bexleyheath

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) incapacity benefit and  (b) employment and support allowance claimants there were resident in (i) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (ii) the London borough of Bexley on the latest date for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  The number of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance and employment and support allowance claimants in Bexley local authority and Bexleyheath and Crayford parliamentary constituency-May 2009 
			   Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance  Employment and support allowance 
			 Bexley local authority 6,100 800 
			 Bexleyheath and Crayford parliamentary constituency 2,300 310 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload has been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Data published at www.nomisweb.co.uk (incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance) and http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp (incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance and employment and support allowance). 3. Employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to her Department's White Paper on Building Britain's Recovery, what estimate she has made of the number of full-time equivalent mental health co-ordinators who will need to be recruited as part of the national network in Jobcentre Plus; when she expects such recruitment to commence; and when she expects the national network to be fully operational nationwide.

Jonathan R Shaw: Each of the 48 Jobcentre Plus districts currently has a mental health co-ordinator in post. The posts were launched on 7 December 2009, and provide a tangible example of "Working our way to better mental health: a framework for action and realising ambitions: Better employment support for people with a mental health condition" in action.
	The recent White Paper made a commitment to doubling the capacity of the mental health co-ordinators, providing one full-time equivalent co-ordinator in each district. This will further extend and embed the role of the co-ordinators. The extended role is expected to be in place across the network from April.

Pathways to Work

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what continuing support will be provided for employment and support allowance claimants who do not move into work after participating in Pathways to Work.

Jonathan R Shaw: Pathways to Work is a flexible menu of different support options tailored to the needs of the individual. It includes a series of work-focused interviews, participation in which is mandatory for most new employment and support allowance claimants. Further, and continuing, employment support from Pathways to Work can be accessed on a voluntary basis, at any time, by all employment and support allowance and incapacity benefits claimants. Employment and support allowance customers can also get continuing support from our range of specialist disability programmes such as Access to Work.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance her Department issues on medical assessments of benefit claimants.

Jonathan R Shaw: Atos Healthcare, the DWP Medical Services contractor, when issuing the medical assessment appointment letter send an information leaflet AL1C covering:
	About the medical assessment
	How to contact Atos Healthcare
	What to bring to the assessment
	Claiming expenses
	Bringing people with you
	When to arrive
	Length of the assessment
	What happens at the assessment
	How to obtain a copy of the report
	What happens next
	What to expect from Atos Healthcare and how to complain.

Unemployment: Disabled

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps she has taken to reduce the level of unemployment amongst disabled people resident in Lewes constituency since 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: A number of steps have been taken to reduce levels of unemployment among disabled people since 2001.
	In July 2001 the new deal for disabled people was launched. This is a programme of advice and practical support, which helps people move from disability and health-related benefits into paid employment. The programme is delivered through a network of 'Job Brokers' offering different services, which can be tailored to a customer's individual needs.
	April 2008 saw the introduction of Pathways to Work in Surrey and Sussex, which includes the Lewes constituency. This programme helps claimants of incapacity benefits or employment and support allowance get work by offering individual support and access to a wide range of help, including work-focused interviews.
	The public consultation 'Helping people achieve their full potential: Improving Specialist Disability Employment Services' was launched on 3 December 2007 to help shape the future of specialist disability employment provision. The new programme, Work Choice, which replaces existing specialist disability employment programmes, will be introduced in October 2010.
	Employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefits for new customers nationally on 27 October 2008. Employment and support allowance has a greater work-focus than its predecessors. It also has a more modern and robust medical assessment, which helps to identify the help that people need to ensure they can fulfil their potential.
	Access to Work is a specialist disability programme that helps disabled people overcome work-related obstacles. It is flexible, easy to access and shows high levels of satisfaction from disabled people and their employers. The Access to Work base budget has been increased from £15 million in 1994-95 to £81 million in 2009-10 and will continue to grow to £138 million by 2013-14. We are also working to improve the programme to ensure it helps people with mental health conditions more effectively.
	The refreshed jobseeker's allowance regime and flexible new deal went live in Surrey and Sussex in October 2009. This is designed to offer personalised and more intensive support to customers, including those with disabilities, to help overcome barriers to work.
	More generally, all jobseekers have full access to Jobcentre Plus vacancy services to enhance their employment opportunities. We recognise that some disabled customers may have a more limited availability and scope to find and carry out certain types of work. Therefore, at the start of their claim customers are asked to tell their adviser about any disabilities that might have such an impact, and can restrict their work search activity and availability for work if those restrictions are reasonable, given their condition.
	Customers with a disability can volunteer to be fast-tracked to the six month stage of jobseeker's allowance, subject to the Jobcentre Plus personal advisers' agreement. This allows disabled people to access additional intensive support earlier in their claim.
	Disability employment advisers are available to provide specialist support to people facing employment barriers because of a disability. They can advise customers about a range of specialised support available, and provide advice on job retention if a person is concerned about losing their job because of their disability. They are supported by work psychologists and various external disability specialists.

Winter Fuel Payments

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in  (a) the UK and  (b) Milton Keynes received the winter fuel allowance in 2008-09.

Angela Eagle: In winter 2008-09 12.3 million people received a winter fuel payment in Great Britain (information regarding Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Office). Some 17,350 people received payments in Milton Keynes South-West constituency and 16,810 people received payments in Milton Keynes North-East constituency.
	 Notes:
	1. Payment figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.

Work Choice and Access to Work schemes

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to her Department's White Paper on "Building Britain's Recovery", what steps her Department is taking to expand the Work Choice and Access to Work schemes; what additional funding her Department is making available for this purpose; and what estimate she has made of the number of people expected to participate as a consequence of the expansion of the schemes.

Jonathan R Shaw: As stated in Chapter 4 of the White Paper, "Building Britain's Recovery: Achieving Full Employment" (December 2009),
	"we will increase funding for our specialist disability employment programmes supporting those with the greatest needs into work."
	We will set out further details in due course.

WALES

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many iPODs have been bought by his Department since 2005; and at what cost.

Peter Hain: None.

Industrial Health and Safety

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether written health and safety advice is issued to each new employee in his Department.

Peter Hain: Each new member of staff receives an induction pack which includes guidance on health and safety issues.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Committees: Costs

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the cost to the public purse has been of Regional  (a) Select and  (b) Grand Committees since their appointment.

Nick Harvey: The cost to the end of December 2009 is estimated to have been:
	
		
			   £000 
			 Regional Select Committees 354 
			 Regional Grand Committees 19 
			 Total 373

House of Commons: Empty Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how long the offices at 14 Tothill Street assigned to the House of Commons have been empty; what the cost of  (a) rent and  (b) business rates in respect of the property has been in this period; and when the offices are expected to be occupied by the House of Commons Service.

Nick Harvey: The House of Commons' area of No. 14 Tothill Street has been empty since the building was leased in October 2007. Following completion of the lease, essential building work on the whole of the premises has been carried out at the expense of the landlord. Common areas shared between the Lords and Commons are presently in use and fit-out work is proceeding on the floors that are to be solely occupied by the House of Commons, for which the estimated completion date is October 2010.
	The Commons share of the total rent paid to date, including the current quarter to 25 March 2010, amounts to some £4.8 million (including VAT); and the Commons share of business rates invoiced to 31 December 2009 has been £175,000.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Consultants

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many external consultants work for his Department.

Si�n Simon: Currently the Department has 34 agency staff and contractors working solely for DCMS. This figure does not include external consultants engaged to undertake coaching, training, and/or facilitation activities, who will work in a number of organisations in addition to DCMS.

Gaming Machines

Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2010,  Official Report, column 391W, on the Gambling Act 2005, if he will assess the merits of bringing forward proposals on the availability of higher prizes on gaming machines in commercial snooker and pool clubs for consideration separate from his Department's planned review of category B gaming machines; and if he will discuss that matter with the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There is a range of issues relating to category B gaming machines which need to be considered together to ensure that the cumulative impact of any changes is fully taken into account. It is therefore right that we consider proposals on the availability of higher prizes on gaming machines in commercial snooker and pool clubs as part of my Department's review of category B gaming machines.
	Any subsequent consultation document outlining proposals for the future would, in the usual way, be accompanied by a draft impact assessment setting out their merits and any potential risks.
	I have no plans to discuss this matter with the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Parliamentary Questions: Correspondence

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy to have printed in the  Official Report all letters sent by Arts Council England to hon. Members in response to parliamentary questions.

Margaret Hodge: Copies of the letters sent by the chief executive of Arts Council England in response to parliamentary questions will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. There is no plan to publish them in the  Official Report.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Common Land: Property Development

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for High Peak (Tom Levitt) of 14 December 2009,  Official Report, column 646W, on common land: property development, whether the planned consultation on registration of village greens will consider restrictions on the ability to register a village green.

Huw Irranca-Davies: We are considering a wide range of options for inclusion in the consultation paper, some of which will relate to the criteria for registration of new town or village greens.

Dairy Farming: Manpower

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of dairy farmers in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2009.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 14 January 2010
	 Changes in the number of farmers are just one element of the structural changes that have taken place in the sector. The long-term trend in dairy production is towards fewer, larger and more productive herds. The following table provides the fuller picture on the structural changes in the sector and shows how the decline in the number of dairy farms and dairy farmers has been offset by an increase in average herd size and milk yields.
	The number of principal farmers on dairy holdings is not yet available for 2009. The decrease in the numbers of dairy farmers in England between 1997 and 2008 (-34 per cent.) is less than the fall in the number of holdings with dairy cows between 2008 and 2009 (-48 per cent.). This reflects a rise in the average number of farmers per farm over the period as the average farm size has increased.
	However, the numbers of dairy cows have decreased by less (-30 per cent.), reflecting a rise in the average herd size, and (at the UK level) milk yields have increased by 22 per cent. over the period, so that total UK milk production has fallen by 8 per cent. between 1997 and 2009.
	
		
			   Number of dairy farms in England  Number of farmers on dairy holdings in England  Number of dairy cows in England (thousand)   
			   (a)  (b)  (a)  (b)  (a)  (b)  UK milk production (million litres) (c)  Average UK milk yield (litres per cow per year) 
			 1997 - 18,007 - 35,104 - 1,702 14,419 5,790 
			 1998 - 17,014 - 34,405 - 1,660 14,213 5,775 
			 1999 - 16,313 - 33,216 - 1,661 14,580 5,964 
			 2000 - 15,219 - 31,418 - 1,576 14,071 5,979 
			 2001 - 14,293 - 30,178 - 1,490 14,284 6,346 
			 2002 - 14,537 - 30,425 - 1,462 14,440 6,493 
			 2003 - 13,770 - 28,918 - 1,435 14,576 6,621 
			 2004 - 13,264 - 28,057 - 1,374 14,127 6,763 
			 2005 - 12,918 - 26,168 - 1,311 14,052 6,986 
			 2006 11,522 11,079 22,483 25,706 1,259 1,290 13,902 6,977 
			 2007 10,907 - 21,082 - 1,236 - 13,619 6,913 
			 2008 10,331 - 20,122 - 1,199 - 13,319 6,943 
			 2009 9,805 n/a n/a - 1,163 - 13,208 7,084 
			  
			 Percentage change between 1997 and 2009 (d) -48  -34  -30  -8 22 
			 n/a = Not yet available  Notes: (a) Sourced from the Cattle Tracing System (CTS). Defined as the number of holdings on 1 June each year with more than 10 dairy cows in the milking herd. CTS became the main source of cattle data from 2006 onwards. Results prior to this were sourced from the June Survey of Agriculture but are not directly comparable. (b) Sourced from the June Survey of Agriculture. (c) Sourced from DEFRA and RPA statistics. (d) Allows for the break in series in 2006 with the switch to the CTS. For the number of dairy farmers the change is between 1997 and 2008.

Dairy Farming: Staffordshire

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance his Department has provided to dairy farmers in Staffordshire as a result of the entry into administration of Dairy Farmers of Britain.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We worked closely with Dairy Farmers of Britain (DFoB) Members Council, the Receivers (PricewaterhouseCoopers) and others towards our common goal of minimising the impacts of those affected, particularly farmer members of DFoB including those in Staffordshire, following DFoB's entry into administration last June.
	We ensured that all available assistance was given to those facing difficulties. This included advice from DFoB Members Council, the Receivers, the National Farmers Union and Regional Development Agencies. For example, there is the Business Link's Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme and HMRC's Business Payment Support Service, which might enable those affected to defer certain tax and national insurance payments. The Secretary of State also wrote to both the British Bankers' Association and the Agricultural Industries Confederation to ask their members to consider any short term cash flow problems faced by farmers sympathetically. In the succeeding weeks, 97 per cent. of the 1,813 active DFoB members found new contracts and buyers for their milk.
	Dairy farmers, including those in Staffordshire, are eligible for payments under the Single Payment Scheme (SPS). The Rural Payments Agency has made continued progress in making more timely SPS payments and this has helped farmers' cash flow, with around £1.5 billion (just under 78 per cent.) paid by the end of December under the 2009 scheme.
	In addition, dairy farmers are eligible for funding under DEFRA's £600 million Rural Development Programme for England 2007-13. This includes over £107 million which is being targeted specifically at the livestock sector to help it meet the particular challenges that it faces. Through this, Advantage West Midlands are able to assist farmers through capital investments to increase competitiveness or diversification into other activities.

Domestic Waste: Fixed Penalties

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information the Environment Agency holds on the number of fixed-penalty notices issued by local authorities for household waste offences.

Dan Norris: Neither the Environment Agency nor DEFRA holds information on fixed-penalty notices issued by local authorities.

Environment Agency: Manpower

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff work in the Environment Agency's  (a) flood and coastal risk management,  (b) water resources,  (c) fisheries,  (d) navigation,  (e) recreation and conservation,  (f) water quality,  (g) process industry regulation,  (h) radioactive substances regulation,  (i) Integrated Pollution Prevention Control and  (j) waste regulation department.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table shows the number of Environment Agency staff who work in the areas requested.
	These staff are involved in work to reduce flood risk, to protect and improve water, land and air, to work with businesses and others to use resources wisely and to reduce climate change and its consequences.
	
		
			  Function  Number of full time equivalent staff 
			 Flood and Coastal Risk Management 3,772 
			 Water Resources 916 
			 Fisheries 386 
			 Navigation 196 
			 Recreation and Conservation 327 
			 Water Quality 1,210 
			 Industry Regulation 475 
			 Radioactive Substances Regulation 80 
			 Waste Regulation 1,482 
			 Total 8,844 
		
	
	Work on Process Industry Regulation and Integrated Pollution Prevention Control is now carried out by the Environment Agency's Industry Regulation Department.

Fly Tipping: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of incidents of fly-tipping in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) Chelmsford local authority area in each of the last five years.

Dan Norris: The number of fly-tipping incidents and enforcement actions taken are not recorded at parliamentary ward level.
	The number of incidents of fly-tipping recorded on the Flycapture database by the Borough of Chelmsford in each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of incidents 
			 2004-05 1,048 
			 2005-06 517 
			 2006-07 596 
			 2007-08 561 
			 2008-09 471 
		
	
	The number of incidents of fly-tipping recorded by local authorities on the Flycapture database is published annually on the DEFRA website:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/local/flytipping/flycapture-data.htm

Livestock: Tagging

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost to the agricultural industry of cross-compliance inspections carried out by  (a) the Rural Payments Agency,  (b) the Environment Agency,  (c) Animal Health,  (d) the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and  (e) his Department under (i) cattle and (ii) sheep identification rules in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 14 January 2010
	No estimate has been made of the cost to the agricultural industry of the cross-compliance cattle and sheep inspections. However, with regard to these inspections, farmers need not do anything more than they are already required to do by the pre-existing cattle and sheep legislation.
	Farmers are not charged for the costs of an inspection but may incur some costs in terms of time spent with inspectors. Significant non-compliance with EU cross- compliance requirements may result in additional inspections and/or the reduction or exclusion of their single payment scheme claim. For individual farmers, the costs of these will vary depending on the degree of non-compliance.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 8 December 2009 on the UK egg industry.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 14 January 2010
	I replied to my hon. Friend for Walsall North's letter on 18 January 2010.

Offenders

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many employees of his Department and its agencies have been convicted of a criminal offence of each type in each year since 1997.

Dan Norris: Under the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code, employees have a duty to inform their employer if they are arrested and refused bail, arrested and released on bail or if they are convicted of any criminal offence. This does not apply to a traffic offence unless an official car was involved, or the penalty included imprisonment or a disqualification from driving. This requirement is reflected in DEFRA's Disciplinary Procedure.
	Where applicable, this information is held individually on the personnel files of staff in DEFRA and its Executive Agencies and collating it would involve inspecting each individual file. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Public Sector: Food

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects his Department to publish its third report on the proportion of domestically produced food used by Government departments and also supplied to hospitals and prisons under contracts negotiated by NHS Supply Chain and National Offender Management Service.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We intend to publish the report in February. The lateness in publishing the report this year has been caused by late receipt of data needed to complete the report.

River Lune

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether British Waterways classifies the River Lune at Halton as navigable.

Huw Irranca-Davies: British Waterways is not the Navigation Authority for the River Lune. We have no knowledge of a current navigation authority for the River Lune and it is not classed as a statutory navigation at Halton.

Rural Payments Agency: Labour Turnover

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people  (a) entered and  (b) left the employment of the Rural Payments Agency in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 14 January 2010
	 The number of people that have entered and left the employment of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) in each of the last five years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Staff type  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010  Total 
			  Entered employment
			 Casual staff 506 240 72 0 0 0 818 
			 Fixed term appointment 10 332 879 304 106 0 1,631 
			 Permanent 48 234 108 258 30 0 678 
			 Total 564 806 1,059 562 136 0 3,127 
			 
			  Left employment
			 Casual staff 440 378 170 33 1 0 1,022 
			 Fixed term appointment 167 84 306 392 237 3 1,189 
			 Permanent 555 209 148 160 218 4 1,294 
			 Total 1,162 671 624 585 456 7 3,505 
		
	
	Casual and fixed-term appointment staff are those who have a contract with a fixed end date. The term casual staff ceased to be used in light of regulatory changes to ensure equitable treatment of fixed term staff.
	The reduction in permanent staff entering the agency, coupled with the increase in numbers of permanent staff leaving, is in line with the agency's strategy to reduce its headcount as part of efficiency savings and to ensure the agency has the right skills at the right grade and location to maximise its use of resources.
	The increase in permanent staff entering in 2008 was due to a one-off exercise to strengthen the agency's experience and reduce reliance on temporary roles and more expensive contractors by converting high numbers of temporary staff roles into fewer, permanent roles.
	RPA constantly reviews all resources in line with its business requirements. As part of normal business practice the agency has employed staff on a temporary, fixed-term basis to assist with specific tasks linked to the cyclical nature of scheme payments. This included work on the single payment scheme particularly in the early years after its introduction.

Seas and Oceans: Environment Protection

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many proposals for  (a) special areas of conservation and  (b) special protection areas in the UK offshore marine environment beyond the 12 nautical mile limit the Government have submitted to the European Commission since November 1999.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Five proposals for special areas of conservation (SACs) beyond 12 nautical miles have been submitted to the European Commission since November 1999. These include: the Darwin Mounds off the North West coast of Scotland, Haig Fras off the South West coast of England and Stanton Banks off the West coast of Scotland which protect reefs, and Scanner Pockmark and Braemar Pockmarks in the Northern North Sea, which both protect submarine structures made by leaking gases. These sites were all submitted to the European Commission in August 2008. To date, no Special Protection Areas (SPAs) beyond 12 nautical miles have been submitted to the European Commission.

Tomatoes: Morocco

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps have been taken in response to the breach by Morocco of the  (a) export volumes and  (b) input prices provisions of the Partnership Agreement with the EU in respect of tomato exports.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The EU Commission is responsible for the negotiation, monitoring and control of the Partnership Agreement. This includes monitoring of the situation via analysis of customs import data as well as market intelligence and prices gathered from member states, particularly Spain and France who are most affected by such imports. We understand that Commission officials regularly meet with the Moroccan authorities and representatives of their horticulture sector to ensure compliance with the Agreement. It should be noted that there is no limit on the amount of tomatoes that Morocco can import into the EU. The agreement includes a quota which can be imported at a preferential rate of import duty, but imports outside are subject to the normal rates of import duty.

HEALTH

Chlorpromazine Hydrochloride

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated research on the (i) potential risks to health and (ii) other effects of chlorpromazine hydrochloride in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Chlorpromazine belongs to a class of drugs called antipsychotics which are mainly used to treat mental health conditions including schizophrenia and other psychoses.
	The safety, efficacy and quality of each medicine, including chlorpromazine hydrochloride is thoroughly evaluated as part of the licensing procedure by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and monitored throughout the lifecycle of the medicine. Prescribing guidance for healthcare professionals to optimise the safe use of antipsychotics is contained within the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) for the medicines and is also available in the British National Formulary distributed to doctors and pharmacists; this information is reflected in the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) that should accompany the medicine. Guidance on the use of antipsychotics has also been issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
	Since the marketing of chlorpromazine, the MHRA in conjunction with its independent scientific advisory committee, the Commission on Human Medicines and its predecessors, has kept the safety of chlorpromazine and other antipsychotics under close review. In recent years, emerging safety data have been considered on a number of occasions by the MHRA at a European level with particular focus on the effects of antipsychotics on the heart, the risk of stroke in the elderly and the risk of venous thromboembolic events. As a result of these reviews, the SmPC and the PIL for antipsychotics have been updated accordingly to reflect the findings of these reviews. The MHRA has also informed healthcare professionals and patients of the outcome of these reviews and the updated prescribing guidance through the regular drug safety bulletin, Drug Safety Update, and information posted on the MHRA website.

Chlorpromazine Hydrochloride

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has provided to clinicians on the use of chlorpromazine hydrochloride for treatment of patients in mental health care facilities.

Phil Hope: Clinicians are expected to take National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance fully into account, such as the clinical guidance on schizophrenia revised by NICE in March 2009. Ultimately, clinical decisions are made according to a doctor's own assessment of an individual patient's needs.

Departmental Food

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the quantity of food waste generated by his Department in each year for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: In August 2009 the Department piloted a scheme to collect and compost food waste from one of our London buildings using a social enterprise called Aardvark Recycling. The amount of food waste collected and composted through this service from August 2009 to December 2009 was 3.135 tonnes.
	The Department is now planning to extend this scheme to its other buildings in London.
	The amount of food waste generated in the Department for previous years is as follows:
	
		
			   Tonnes 
			 April 2006 to March 2007 14.33 
			 April 2007 to March 2008 13.69 
			 April 2008 to March 2009 13.99 
			 April 2009 to December 2009 9.37

General Practitioners: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of GP surgeries in  (a) Chorley and  (b) each Lancashire district are open (i) in the evenings and (i) at weekends.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not available in the format requested. However, information relevant to the Lancashire Primary Care Trust (PCT) areas is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Percentage of general practitioner (GP) practices offering extended opening hours as at July 2009 
			 Central Lancashire PCT 64.4 (56 of 87) 
			 East Lancashire PCT 87.7 (57 of 65) 
			 North Lancashire PCT 69.2 (39 of 27) 
			 Blackburn with Darwen PCT 89.7 (26 of 29) 
			 Blackpool PCT 73.9 (17 of 23) 
			  Note:  Extended opening hours cover surgeries that are open before 8.00am, after 6.30pm and on Saturdays and Sundays.  Source:  Department of Health

Health Services: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much the  (a) South Essex Partnership NHS University Foundation Trust and  (b) South Essex Mental Health Trust has spent on advertising in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many officials employed by  (a) South Essex Partnership NHS University Foundation Trust and  (b) South Essex Mental Health Trust at each pay band were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in each of the last five years; how many people received each type of bonus; and what the (i) average and (ii) payment was for each type of bonus at each pay band;
	(3)  how much the Chief Executive of  (a) South Essex Partnership NHS University Foundation Trust and  (b) South Essex Mental Health Trust was given in performance bonuses and special bonuses in each of the last five years; what the average payment was for each type of bonus; what maximum payment was for each type of bonus; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what the salary of the Chief Executive of  (a) South Essex Partnership NHS University Foundation Trust and  (b) South Essex Mental Health Trust was in each of the last five years;
	(5)  what the turnover rate of staff of each grade employed by the  (a) South Essex Partnership NHS University Foundation Trust and  (b) South Essex Mental Health Trust was in the last six months;
	(6)  how many employees of each  (a) sex and  (b) age (i) entered and (ii) left the employment of the (A) South Essex Partnership NHS University Foundation Trust and (B) South Essex Mental Health Trust in each of the last six months.

Phil Hope: The information requested is a matter for South Essex Partnership NHS University Foundation Trust. We have written to Lorraine Cabel, chair of South Essex Partnership NHS University Foundation Trust, informing her of the hon. Member's inquiries. She will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Health Services: Preston

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of NHS waiting list times in Preston since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: Data showing the median in-patient and out-patient waiting times for the Central Lancashire Primary Care Trust (PCT) and the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and their predecessor organisations for the dates where data are available has been placed in the Library.
	In addition, referral to treatment medians and performance figures are as follows:
	 Admitted (adjusted)
	Central Lancashire PCT: 6.1 weeks, 94.2 per cent.
	Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: 7.6 weeks, 93.4 per cent.
	 Non-admitted
	Central Lancashire PCT: 4.6 weeks, 97.0 per cent.
	Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: 4.5 weeks, 97.1 per cent.

Hospital Beds: Preston

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many beds were available in NHS hospitals in Preston in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many beds were available in NHS hospitals in Preston in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: Information on the number of beds available in the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and its predecessor trusts in each year since 1997 is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust 
			   Beds in wards open overnight  Beds in wards open day only  Total beds in wards open overnight and day only 
			 1996-97 370 11 381 
			 1997-98 408 13 421 
			 1998-99 398 15 413 
			 1999-00 410 18 428 
			 2000-01 420 20 440 
			 2001-02 1,228 48 1,276 
		
	
	
		
			  Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
			   Beds in wards open overnight  Beds in wards open day only  Total beds in wards open overnight and day only 
			 1996-97 812 14 826 
			 1997-98 775 14 789 
			 1998-99 772 14 786 
			 1999-00 772 14 786 
			 2000-01 774 36 810 
			 2001-02 - - - 
		
	
	
		
			  Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 
			   Beds in wards open overnight  Beds in wards open day only  Total beds in wards open overnight and day only 
			 2002-03 1,156 45 1,201 
			 2003-04 1,172 46 1,218 
			 2004-05 1,157 43 1,200 
			 2005-06 1,101 33 1,134 
			 2006-07 1,041 62 1,103 
			 2007-08 1,056 73 1,129 
			 2008-09 1,067 75 1,142 
			  Note: Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust and Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust merged to form Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in 2002. 2001-02 data submitted by Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust also included the data for Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.  Source:  Department of Health Knowledge and Intelligence

Life Expectancy

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the healthy life expectancy rate was for people from each socio-economic group in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated January 2010:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the healthy life expectancy rate was for people from each socio-economic group in each of the last three years. I am replying in his absence. (311718)
	There are currently no available figures on healthy life expectancy by socio-economic group. An article reporting healthy life expectancy by Registrar General's Social Class in 2001-03 will be published on February 24th 2010, and will be accessible on the ONS website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=6725

Life Expectancy

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the healthy life expectancy rate was for  (a) men and  (b) women in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated January 2010:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the healthy life expectancy rate was for (a) men and (b) women in each of the last three years. I am replying in his absence. (311719)
	Healthy life expectancy figures are calculated as three year rolling averages. The table below provides the healthy life expectancy at birth for (a) men and (b) women in England, for 2004-06 (the latest period available).
	
		
			  Table 1: Healthy life expectancy at birth( 1) , England, 2004-06( 2) 
			   Healthy life expectancy (years) 
			 Males 68.5 
			 Females 70.7 
			 (1) Healthy life expectancy at birth is an estimate of the average number of years a newborn baby would live in 'Good' or 'Fairly good' health if he or she experienced the area's age-specific mortality and morbidity rates for that time period throughout his or her life. The figure reflects mortality and morbidity among those living in the area in each time period, rather than among those born in each area. It is not therefore the number of years a baby born in the area in each time period could actually expect to live in 'Good' or 'Fairly good' health, both because the mortality and morbidity rates of the area are likely to change in the future and because many of those born in the area will live elsewhere for at least some part of their lives. (2 )Three year rolling average, based on self-reported prevalence of 'Good' or 'Fairly good' health and deaths registered in each year and mid-year population estimates.

NHS: Redundancy Pay

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each  (a) primary care trust,  (b) hospital trust and  (c) mental health trust spent on redundancy pay for members of the trust board in each of the last three years.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not available in the form requested. Total costs of redundancy pay over the last three years is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  National health service redundancies, 2006-07 to 2008-09 
			  £000 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Strategic health authorities 98,185 4,661 5,286 
			 Primary care trusts 84,517 66,015 14,984 
			 NHS trusts(1) 86,596 62,273 23,633 
			 (1) Information regarding the cost of redundancy for foundation trusts is not collected centrally.  Source: NHS Summarised Accounts, 2006-07 to 2008-09

Surgery: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) Chelmsford local authority area underwent elective surgery in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The number of elective finished admission episodes (FAEs) where there was a procedure or intervention recorded in Chelmsford local authority district of residence, 2004-05 to 2008-09 is in the following table. Information is not held regarding parliamentary constituency:
	
		
			   Number of elective FAEs 
			 2008-09 18,517 
			 2007-08 16,157 
			 2006-07 12,302 
			 2005-06 12,465 
			 2004-05 12,362 
			  Note: Finished admission episodes: an FAE is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

Written Questions: Government Responses

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he plans to answer Question  (a) 301022 and  (b) 300382, on performance pay awards, tabled on 18 November 2009;
	(2)  when he expects to answer Question  (a) 301022 and  (b) 300382 on non-consolidated performance pay awards, tabled on 18 November 2009.

Phil Hope: The answers to parliamentary questions 301022 and 300382 tabled on 18 November 2009 will appear shortly.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Security

Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2010,  Official Report, column 659W, on aviation: security, when the code of practice will be finalised; and which airport operators are working with his Department on its development.

Paul Clark: The code of practice is under urgent development and will be finalised as quickly as possible. Officials are working with a representative cross section of individual airport operators.

Bus Lanes: Preston

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many miles of priority bus lanes have been introduced in Preston since 1997.

Sadiq Khan: This information is not collected centrally.

Bus Services: Chesterfield

Paul Holmes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many smartcard concessionary bus passes have been issued to residents of Chesterfield constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport is not responsible for issuing passes and so does not maintain records of how many passes individual authorities have issued.
	Chesterfield is part of the Derbyshire county concessionary travel scheme. The last information held by the Department was that as of 12 January 2010, the Derbyshire county scheme had issued 245,196 smartcard concessionary passes. This includes passes issued to disabled people as well as those aged 60 and over.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 90W, on Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: tolls, what the evidential basis is for the assertion that traffic levels between 06.00 and 22.00 generally exceed the crossing's capacity; if he will place in the Library a copy of the data on which that assertion is based; and to which EU directives he made reference in the answer.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport's consultation document on proposed changes to charges at the Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing (December 2006), included information on the traffic levels at the Crossing which was the evidence upon which proposals for the timing of charges was based. A copy of this document is available from the Library of the House.
	In April 2009, the Department also published the Dartford River Crossing Study into Capacity Requirements which includes a later analysis of vehicle flows at the Dartford Crossing. This report is available from the Department's website at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/about/strategy/capacityrequirements/dartfordrivercrossing/
	and a copy of the report has been placed in the Library of the House.
	European Union Directive 1999/62/EC, as modified by European Union Directives 2006/38/EC and 2006/103/EC, applies to the levying of certain tolls and user charges on heavy goods vehicles. EU Directive 1999/62/EC was transposed into UK law by the Eurovignette Regulations (The Heavy Goods Vehicles (Charging for the Use of Certain Infrastructure on the Trans-European Road Network) Regulations 2009, SI 2009/1914) which contain an exemption for non-discriminatory road user charging schemes specifically designed to combat time and place-related traffic congestion, as at the Dartford Crossing.

Departmental Billing

John Mason: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what proportion of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in December 2009.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport has paid 92.62 per cent. of valid invoices received in December 2009 within 10 days measured against the total number of 19,990 valid invoices received.

Departmental Public Consultation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether any citizen juries or summits have been hosted by his Department since October 2008.

Chris Mole: Since October 2008 the Department for Transport and its agencies have not hosted any citizen juries or summits.

Driving Standards Agency: Internet

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much the Driving Standards Agency has spent on  (a) Twitter and  (b) other online communications systems in each of the last three years.

Paul Clark: The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has spent the following on  (a) Twitter and  (b) other online communication systems in the last three years:
	(a) Twitter-DSA established a free Twitter presence in May 2009. The Agency is not required to pay for this facility.
	(b) The costs of the DSA corporate website (dsa.gov.uk) are shown in the following table. These costs include web-hosting, site security, the use of online media to deliver public consultations, development of online communication to increase take-up of DSA's online services and to make available corporate information.
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			 2006-07 95,841.35 
			 2007-08 63,214.03 
			 2008-09 112,006.37 
		
	
	In addition, DSA has online communication costs for:
	A Learning to Drive online marketing campaign was run at a cost of £11,690 (during 2007-2008).
	A five month marketing campaign to promote the Agency's Enhanced Rider Scheme (ERS) at a cost of £52,940, in 2009.
	DSA is currently trialling a new email alert system from GovDelivery at a cost of £5,000.

Driving Standards Agency: Pay

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many full-time equivalent employees of the Driving Standards Agency are in the salary band  (a) £150,000 and above,  (b) £100,000 to £149,999,  (c) £80,000 to £99,999,  (d) £60,000 to £79,999,  (e) £40,000 to £59,999,  (f) £25,000 to £39,999 and  (g) £24,999 and under.

Paul Clark: The number of full-time equivalent staff, employed by the Driving Standards Agency within the specified salary band rates, is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Salary band rates  Total staff employed at 31 December 2009 
			 £24,999 and under 1,910 
			 £25,000 to £39,999 522 
			 £40,000 to £59,999 46 
			 £60,000 to £79,999 10 
			 £80,000 to £99,999 0 
			 £100,000 to £149,999 1 
			 £150,000 and over 0

Driving Standards Agency: Pay

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much was claimed in expenses by each member of the senior management of the Driving Standards Agency in each of the last three years.

Paul Clark: Expenses claimed by directors and the chief executive of the Driving Standards Agency for the last three financial years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  Total 
			 R. Thew 4,925.15 4,034.50 4,181.65 13,141.30 
			 J. Lewis n/a 6,334.30 6,192.28 12,526.58 
			 T. Wedge 2,936.80 5,251.27 6,064.93 14,253.00 
			 D. Jones 1,011.50 1,775.15 922.17 3,708.82 
			 K. Gillatt 1,323.61 1,940.88 1,858.60 5,123.09 
			 B. Gilhooley 8,505.59 4,187.13 9,297.96 21,990.68 
			 P. Butler 4,344.50 3,032.12 3,720.03 11,096.65 
			 N. Carter 7,321.30 9,210.20 8,796.98 25,328.48 
			 A. Beveridge 925.95 899.40 948.35 2,773.70 
			 n/a = not applicable as not in director post. 
		
	
	The information provided may be only a proportion of total expenses potentially attributable to each individual. The figures shown relate to expenses for directly claimed costs where the individual has submitted a claim via our travel and subsistence system or has expense payments made through their salary. The amounts shown do not include expenses, which in some cases, could be the bulk of costs associated with travel (such as rail and air fares), as these are normally paid using a Government Procurement Card, the Government's credit card. To compile such information relating to expenses from this source would incur disproportionate cost.

Driving Standards Agency: Pay

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much was spent on the salaries of press officers employed by the Driving Standards Agency in each of the last three years.

Paul Clark: The Driving Standards Agency spent the following on press officer salaries in each of the last three years:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 88,274 
			 2008-09 123,299 
			 2009-10 (1)68,398 
			 (1) At 14 January 2010. 
		
	
	The amounts for the year 2008-2009 were higher owing to the costs of replacement cover for staff on maternity leave.

Driving Tests: Facilities

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what driving test centres have closed in each of the last three years.

Paul Clark: The total numbers of driving test centres (DTCs) that were relocated by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA), in each of the last three years are shown in the following table. All DTCs were relocated to existing, new or better accommodation that offer more modern facilities.
	
		
			   2007  2008  2009 
			 Related to Multi Purpose Test Centre (MPTC) programme (see background note) 10 27 14 
			 Operational relocations 0 6 6 
			 Total 10 33 20 
		
	
	The actual DTCs that were relocated, in each of the last three years, in relation to the MPTC programme are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Test centre  MPTC 
			 2007 Edinburgh, Joppa Edinburgh, Musselburgh 
			 2007 Exeter Exeter 
			 2007 Gateshead Gateshead 
			 2007 Glasgow, Mosspark Glasgow, Shieldhall 
			 2007 Hessle Hull 
			 2007 Hull Hull 
			 2007 Ipswich, LGV Ipswich 
			 2007 Ipswich, Woodbridge Road Ipswich 
			 2007 Rotherham Rotherham 
			 2007 Winchmore Hill Enfield 
			 2008 Darlington Darlington 
			 2008 Gainsborough Scunthorpe 
			 2008 Scunthorpe Scunthorpe 
			 2008 St. Helens St. Helens 
			 2008 Holyhead Bangor 
			 2008 Bristol LGV Bristol 
			 2008 Kings Lynn Kings Lynn 
			 2008 Peterborough Peterborough 
			 2008 Spalding Peterborough 
			 2008 Nottingham (Gedling) Nottingham (Colwick) 
			 2008 Nottingham (West Bridgford) Nottingham (Colwick) 
			 2008 Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy 
			 2008 Burton on Trent Burton on Trent 
			 2008 Bexleyheath Erith 
			 2008 Lincoln Lincoln 
			 2008 Wellingborough Kettering 
			 2008 Kettering Kettering 
			 2008 Carlisle Carlisle 
			 2008 Chester Chester 
			 2008 Ellesmere Port Chester 
			 2008 Warrington St Helens 
			 2008 Cupar Kirkcaldy 
			 2008 Bristol St. Georges Bristol 
			 2008 Farnborough Farnborough 
			 2008 Gosport Lee-on-Solent 
			 2008 Southend-on-Sea Basildon 
			 2008 Birmingham, Washwood Heath Birmingham, Garretts Green 
			 2009 Brighton Burgess Hill 
			 2009 Hove Burgess Hill 
			 2009 Herne Bay Herne Bay 
			 2009 Broadstairs Herne Bay 
			 2009 Norwich Norwich 
			 2009 Aberdeen (Altens) Aberdeen 
			 2009 Swindon Swindon 
			 2009 Bangor Bangor 
			 2009 Swansea Swansea 
			 2009 Wigan Atherton (Manchester) 
			 2009 Blackburn Blackburn with Darwen 
			 2009 Plymouth Plymouth 
			 2009 Wolverhampton Wolverhampton 
			 2009 Stonehaven Aberdeen 
		
	
	The actual DTCs that were relocated in each of the last three years for operational issues are in the following table.
	
		
			   Test centre relocated from  Test centre relocated to 
			 2008 Minehead Taunton DTC 
			 2008 Trowbridge Chippenham DTC 
			 2008 Wallington Mint House Neighbouring DTCs (Sutton, Croydon and Morden) 
			 2008 Weybridge Chertsey 
			 2008 Thornaby Neighbouring DTCs (Middlesbrough, Hartlepool and Darlington) 
			 2008 Colwyn Bay Rhyl DTC 
			 2009 Haverfordwest Pembroke Dock DTC (car); Cardigan (car); Carmarthen (m/c); Swansea MPTV (new m/c); Neath DTC (LGV) 
			 2009 Hendon Hendon DTC (new centre) 
			 2009 Sheffield-Handsworth Sheffield-Parkway DTC 
			 2009 Kidderminster Lower Gornal 
			 2009 Southall Southall (new centre) 
			 2009 Greenford (Ruislip Road) Southall

Driving Tests: Facilities

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which driving test centres are planned to be relocated in the next three years.

Paul Clark: The driving test centres that the Driving Standards Agency is currently planning to relocate to new locations over the next three years are shown in the following table. These 45 relocations are subject to finding suitable operational locations, negotiating suitable terms with landowners and/or landlords and obtaining any required planning consent.
	
		
			  Driving test centre  Relocation date  Relocating to 
			 Ayr tbc Ayr multi purpose test centre 
			 Barking tbc Proposed new location at Barking 
			 Barnstaple tbc Proposed new location at Barnstaple 
			 Barry 26 March 2010 Cardiff; Bridgend 
			 Blairgowrie tbc Dundee DTC 
			 Bradford tbc Proposed new location at Bradford Heaton 
			 Bradford, Eccleshill tbc Bradford (new site) 
			 Bristol tbc Proposed new location at Bristol Southmead 
			 Bury St. Edmunds tbc Proposed new location at Bury St. Edmunds 
			 Cambridge tbc Proposed new location for Chesterton Road and possibly Cowley Road 
			 Cardiff tbc Cardiff Fairwater 
			 Cheltenham tbc Cheltenham 
			 Chichester tbc Chichester 
			 Clacton tbc Clacton 
			 Doncaster tbc Doncaster 
			 Dorchester tbc Dorchester 
			 Durham tbc - 
			 Falkirk tbc Grangemouth 
			 Fraserburgh January 2010 Fraserburgh 
			 Gillingham tbc Gillingham multi purpose test centre 
			 Greenford Horsenden tbc Greenford Horsenden 
			 Harrogate tbc Knaresborough DTC 
			 Hawick September 2010 Galashiels 
			 Inverness tbc Inverness multi purpose test centre 
			 Isleworth tbc Isleworth 
			 Kilmarnock tbc Irvine (new site) 
			 King's Heath tbc Kings Heath/Shirley (new site) 
			 Leicester, Welford Road tbc Leicester multi purpose test centre 
			 Loughborough tbc Loughborough (new site) 
			 Lowestoft tbc Lowestoft 
			 Manchester, Whalley Range tbc Manchester (new site) 
			 Merthyr Tydfil tbc Proposed new location at Merthyr Tydfil 
			 Mold 30 March 2010 Wrexham DTC 
			 Morden tbc Morden 
			 Northwich tbc Northwich 
			 Nottingham Chalfont Drive tbc New site in Nottingham 
			 Nuneaton and Hinckley tbc Nuneaton 
			 Reddish tbc Stockport multi purpose test centre (Bredbury) 
			 Reading L tbc Reading LGV TBC 
			 Saltcoats tbc Irvine DTC (new site) 
			 Shirley tbc Kings Heath/Shirley (new site) 
			 Sunderland 13 January 2010 Sunderland (new site) 
			 Sutton in Ashfield 18 January 2010 Sutton in Ashfield (new site) 
			 Wakefield 5 February 2010 Wakefield multi purpose test centre (Leeds) 
			 Wisbech 18 March 2010 Kings Lynn multi purpose test centre

Driving Tests: Wisbech

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the net effects on his Department's expenditure will be of relocation of the Wisbech driving test centre to Kings Lynn in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2011-12.

Paul Clark: The Wisbech driving test centre is planned to remain operational until 31 March 2010, so there will be no savings associated with its relocation to Kings Lynn in this financial year.
	In future years the Driving Standards Agency will save the accommodation costs for Wisbech-currently £11,386 per annum, and the costs of examiners travelling from Kings Lynn to Wisbech to conduct driving tests as Wisbech did not have permanent staff assigned-currently £5,100 per annum.
	A test centre providing facilities to conduct the off-road element of the new practical motorcycling test required by European legislation was needed to serve the Kings Lynn and Wisbech area.
	We want to maximise the benefit from the costs invested in providing the new facility. This involved a capital cost of £2.3 million which was greater than average owing to environmental requirements. This would have been necessary irrespective of the relocation from Wisbech.

Driving Tests: Wisbech

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate has been made of the net effect on the costs of  (a) driving instructions and  (b) driving examiners of the relocation of the Wisbech driving test centre to Kings Lynn in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12.

Paul Clark: The Driving Standards Agency considered that the impact of relocating Wisbech driving test centre to Kings Lynn on the cost of learning to drive would be negligible. The Agency encourages all learner drivers to be taught to drive safely and confidently on a variety of roads rather than learning to follow test routes. It should not be necessary for learner drivers to travel to Kings Lynn other than for limited pre-test familiarisation.
	As no driving examiners were based at the Wisbech test centre there are no associated costs in relation to their relocation to Kings Lynn.

Highways Agency: Quantity Surveyors

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many quantity surveyors have been employed by the Highways Agency in each year since its inception.

Chris Mole: The number of quantity surveyors employed by the Highways Agency is listed in the following table.
	
		
			   Quantity surveyors 
			 1993 3 
			 1994 7 
			 1995 7 
			 1996 7 
			 1997 7 
			 1998 7 
			 1999 7 
			 2000 6 
			 2001 6 
			 2002 7 
			 2003 7 
			 2004 7 
			 2005 8 
			 2006 8 
			 2007 6 
			 2008 6 
			 2009 6

Policing and Crime Act 2009

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2010,  Official Report, column 339W, on the Policing and Crime Act 2009, for what reason it is necessary to use the powers in the Policing and Crime Act 2009 to ensure that correct policing arrangements can be maintained at  (a) Belfast City Airport and  (b) Belfast International Airport; whether officers of the (i) Northern Ireland Airport Police and (ii) Belfast Harbour Police (A) have powers to police each airport and (B) exercise powers as constables within the curtilage of each airport; to what purpose his Department proposes to work closely with the airports concerned and the Northern Ireland Office; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The arrangements for policing the Belfast airports differ from those elsewhere in the United Kingdom. As a result, the Secretary of State shortly intends to use powers under the Policing and Crime Act 2009 to exempt both Belfast airports from the new requirements in Part 3 of the Aviation Security Act 1982. This will ensure that their current policing arrangements are maintained.
	We will continue to work closely with the airports concerned and the Northern Ireland Office to conclude this matter.

Roads: Salt

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether there are plans for the Highways Agency to hold a central strategic reserve of salt.

Sadiq Khan: There are currently no plans for the Highways Agency to hold a central strategic reserve of salt. However, when the current period of very cold weather has concluded, there will be a lessons learned based exercise, during which all practical options for increasing the salt stock resilience across the network will be examined.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Nick Harvey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  what guidance his Department provides on the maximum amount of grit to be laid on roads during icy weather conditions;
	(2)  what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on the treatment of exposed roads, with particular reference to roads which have frozen over after having been gritted.

Sadiq Khan: The UK Roads Liaison Group (UKRLG) has published a code of practice for highway maintenance Well maintained highways. The code of practice includes guidance on winter service. The UKRLG recently published a revision to their winter service guidance. Both the code of practice and the revised guidance on winter service are available free on the UKRLG website:
	http://www.ukroadsliaisongroup.org/
	The guidance on winter service applies to roads affected by snow and ice and includes advice on materials that can be used for winter service. Recommended treatment rates for salt under different conditions are also provided.
	Through ongoing detailed research and analysis, the Highways Agency has developed a treatment matrix, which provides guidance for its service providers on appropriate treatment rates for their network. This matrix is under continuous review to assess identified treatment rates and as a result of recently completed research, the Highways Agency has been able to reduce its treatment rates helping to improve resilience through the current salt shortage.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent steps he has taken to monitor the implementation by local authorities of their severe weather emergency procedures; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: Maintenance of the local highway network is a matter for local highway authorities; this includes the provision of regular winter service and response to other weather events. The Department for Transport has not recently reviewed authorities' plans in these areas.
	Last month, Departmental officials wrote to the chief executive of each local authority in England, encouraging them to consider whether their winter service strategies are up to date.
	Through its endorsement of 'Well-maintained Highways', the UK Roads Liaison Group's code of practice for highways maintenance management, the Department encourages local highway authorities to develop winter service strategies. The code of practice also provides guidance on responding to weather emergencies.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he will announce the successful bidder for the Thameslink rolling stock order.

Chris Mole: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 11 January 2010,  Official Report, column 672W.

Transport: Schools

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many and what proportion of children travelled to school by  (a) walking or cycling,  (b) private motor vehicle and  (c) public transport in each of the last three years.

Sadiq Khan: Estimates from the National Travel Survey on the mode share of education trips made by children aged five to 15 are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Trips made for the purpose of education by children aged five to 15 years in Great Britain, by main transport mode, 2006-08 
			  Percentage 
			  Main transport mode  2006  2007  2008 
			 Walking or cycling 48 48 46 
			 Private motor vehicle 30 31 32 
			 Public transport(1) 21 22 22 
			 
			 All modes 100 100 100 
			 
			  Unweighted sample sizes:
			 Individuals 2,996 2,997 2,853 
			 Trips 18,508 18,820 17,261 
			 (1) Public transport includes dedicated school buses operated under private-hire or contract arrangements, as well as buses in general public service. 
		
	
	School travel is the subject of local government national indicator 198. This indicator is measured locally through data from the annual School Census and other locally-collected data, but school travel data from these sources have not been published at national level.

CABINET OFFICE

Cancer: Salford

Hazel Blears: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the cancer mortality rate was in Salford  (a) in 1997 and  (b) at the latest date for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated January 2010:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the cancer mortality rate was in Salford (a) in 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available. I am replying in his absence. (311669)
	The table attached provides the age-standardised mortality rate, where cancer was the underlying cause of death, for Salford local authority, in (a) 1997 and (b) 2008 (the latest year available).
	
		
			  Table 1. Age-standardised mortality rate per 100,000 population,( 1,2)  where cancer was the underlying cause of death,( 3)  Salford local authority( 4) ,1997 and 2008( 5) 
			  Rate per 100,000 population 
			   Rate  95 per cent. confidence interval 
			 1997 252 (234-270) 
			 2008 229 (211-246) 
			 (1) Age-standardised mortality rates per 100,000 population, standardised to the European Standard Population. Age-standardised rates are used to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages. (2) Confidence intervals are a measure of the statistical precision of an estimate and show the range of uncertainty around the estimated figure. Calculations based on small numbers of events are often subject to random fluctuations. As a general rule, if the confidence interval around one figure overlaps with the interval around another, we cannot say with certainty that there is more than a chance difference between the two figures. (3) Cause of death for cancer was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes 140-208 for 1997 and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00-C97 for 2008. (4) Based on boundaries as of 2009. (5) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Central Office of Information: Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much the Central Office of Information received from each Government department in  (a) 2006-07,  (b) 2007-08,  (c) 2008-09 and  (d) 2009-10 to date.

Tessa Jowell: I have asked the chief executive of the Central Office of Information to reply to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Mark Lund, dated 7 January 2010:
	As Chief Executive of the Central Office of Information (COI), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on COI departmental Income (309831).
	This information could only be made available at disproportionate cost.

Death: Homelessness

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths of people of no fixed abode have been recorded in  (a) the last 31 days and  (b) the corresponding period in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated January 2010:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths of people of no fixed abode have been recorded in (a) the last 31 days and (b) the corresponding period in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09. I am replying in his absence. (311924)
	Deaths of people with no fixed abode occurring in (a) the last 31 days (15 December 2009 to 15 January 2010) are not yet available.
	The Office for National Statistics collects information on deaths in England and Wales as they are registered. Deaths of people with no fixed abode will generally be registered by a coroner rather than a medical practitioner, since all deaths that may be due to self neglect must be referred to a coroner.
	The number of deaths of people with no fixed abode occurring (b) (i) between 15 December 2007 and the 15 January 2008, was 8, and (ii) between 15 December 2008 and 15 January 2009 was 11. All of these deaths were referred to a coroner and were therefore not registered until the coroner had completed their investigations, which was approximately 3 to 6 months after the death occurred.

Deaths: Circulatory Disease and Cancer

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the mortality rate for people under 75 years old in  (a) England and  (b) Wales with (i) circulatory disease and (ii) cancer was in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated January 2010:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the mortality rate for people under 75 years old in (a) England and (b) Wales with (i) circulatory disease and (ii) cancer was in each of the last three years for which figures are available. I am replying in his absence. (311724)
	The tables attached provide the age-standardised mortality rates for persons aged under 75 years, where (i) circulatory disease was the underlying cause of death (Table. 1) and (ii) cancer was the underlying cause of death (Table 2), for (a) England and (b) Wales, for 2006 to 2008 (the latest year available).
	
		
			  Table 1: Age-standardised mortality rate per 100,000 population( 1, 2) , where circulatory disease was the underlying cause of death( 3) , persons aged under 75 years, England, and Wales, 2006 and 2008( 4) 
			  Rate per 100,000 population 
			   England  Wales 
			   Rate  95 per cent. confidence interval  Rate  95 per cent. confidence interval 
			 2006 79 (78-80) 89 (86-92) 
			 2007 74 (74-75) 84 (81-87) 
			 2008 71 (70-72) 80 (77-83) 
			 (1) Age-standardised mortality rates per 100,000 population, standardised to the European Standard Population. Age-standardised rates are used to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages. (2) Confidence intervals are a measure of the statistical precision of an estimate and show the range of uncertainty around the estimated figure. Calculations based on small numbers of events are often subject to random fluctuations. As a general rule, if the confidence interval around one figure overlaps with the interval around another, we cannot say with certainty that there is more than a chance difference between the two figures. (3) Cause of death for circulatory disease was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes 100-199. (4) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Age-standardised mortality rate per 100,000 population( 1, 2) , where cancer was the underlying cause of death( 3) , persons age under 75 years, England, and Wales, 2006 and 2008( 4) 
			  Rate per 100,000 population 
			   England  Wales 
			   Rate  95 per cent. confidence interval  Rate  95 per cent. confidence interval 
			 2006 116 (115-116) 125 (121-129) 
			 2007 114 (113-115) 125 (122-129) 
			 2008 112 (111-113) 121 (117-125) 
			 (1) Age-standardised mortality rates per 100,000 population, standardised to the European Standard Population. Age-standardised rates are used to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages. (2) Confidence intervals are a measure of the statistical precision of an estimate and show the range of uncertainly around the estimated figure. Calculations based on small numbers of events are often subject to random fluctuations. As a general rule, if the confidence interval around one figure overlaps with the interval around another, we cannot say with certainty that there is more than a chance difference between the two figures. (3) Cause of death for cancer was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00-C97. (4 )Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Deaths: Mentally Ill

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the mortality rate for people with severe mental illness was in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated January 2010:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the mortality rate for people with severe mental illness was in each of the last three years. I am replying in his absence. (311725)
	The mortality rate of people with severe mental illness cannot be calculated from information collected at death registration. Mental illness is rarely recorded as a cause of death. Internationally accepted guidance from the World Health Organisation requires only those conditions that contributed directly to death to be recorded on the death certificate. Medical practitioners and coroners are not supposed to record all of the diseases or conditions present at or before death, and whether a condition contributed is a matter for their clinical judgement.

Departmental Billing

John Mason: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of invoices from suppliers her Department paid within 10 days of receipt in December 2009.

Angela Smith: In December 2009, 94 per cent. of all compliant invoices were paid within 10 days of receipt.

Departmental Manpower

John Leech: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff  (a) her Department and  (b) the Charity Commission employ to monitor compliance with the Charities Act 2006.

Angela Smith: The Charity Commission as the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales has the role of monitoring charities' compliance with charity law, including the Charities Act 2006. The Cabinet Office does not employ any staff for this purpose. The Act is a wide-ranging piece of legislation, and its provisions include new safeguards to uphold public trust in the charitable sector. It defines the Charity Commission's objectives and functions, and gives it some general duties which are meant to guide it when performing its functions. The Commission employs 504 staff (full-time equivalent 462), all of which are involved in monitoring compliance with the Charities Act 2006.

Employment: Hemel Hempstead

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people were employed in  (a) call centres and  (b) manufacturing in Hemel Hempstead constituency in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many people were employed in  (a) call centres and  (b) manufacturing in Hemel Hempstead constituency in each of the last five years. (311029)
	Table 1 shows the number of employees in call centre activities industry and the manufacturing sector between 2004 and 2008.
	
		
			  Table 1: Employees in Hemel Hempstead 
			  Number 
			   SIC(03) 7486-Call centre activities  SIC(03) Sector D-Manufacturing 
			 2004 0 3,500 
			 2005 (1)- 3,200 
			 2006 (1)- 2,900 
			 2007 (1)- 2,100 
			 2008 (1)- 2,000 
			 (1) Figures have been suppressed to prevent disclosure.  Note: Estimates for 2005 and earlier periods are on a different basis to those from 2006 onwards. An assessment of changes in survey methodology suggests that the estimated total number of employees for the manufacturing sector for GB was increased by around 0.3 per cent. Direct comparisons of employee estimates over these different periods should therefore be treated with caution.  Source: Annual Business Inquiry.

Non-departmental Public Bodies: Pay

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much on average was paid in resettlement grants to chief executives of Government bodies on their relocation under contract in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not held centrally.

Personal Income

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the mean annual earning of a  (a) full-time public sector employee and  (b) full-time private sector employee were in (i) the UK, (ii) England and (iii) each constituency on the latest date for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the mean annual earnings of (a) full-time public sector employees and (b) full-time private sector employees in (i) the UK, (ii) England and (iii) each constituency on the latest date for which figures are available. (311473)
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Annual levels of earnings are estimated from the ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, who have been in the same job for more than a year. The public and private sector breakdown is based on the Inter-Departmental Business Register legal status.
	A table showing the mean gross annual earnings for all full-time employees in the public and private sectors for the UK, England and each constituency in April 2009 has been placed in the Library of the House.

Suicide

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of people in each 10 year age cohort committed suicide in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated January 2010:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many and what proportion of people in each 10 year age cohort committed suicide in each of the last three years. I am replying in his absence. (311723)
	The table attached provides the number of deaths, and the age-specific mortality rates, for persons where suicide was the underlying cause of death, by 10-year age groups, in England and Wales, for 2006 to 2008 (the latest year available).
	
		
			  Table 1. Number of deaths, and age-specific mortality rates per 100,000 population,( 1,2,3)  where suicide was the underlying cause of death,( 4)  by age group, England, and Wales, 2006 and 2008( 5) 
			  Rate per 100,000 population 
			   2006  2007  2008 
			   Number  Rate  95 per cent. confidence interval  Number  Rate  95 per cent. confidence interval  Number  Rate  95 per cent. confidence interval 
			 15-24 399 6 (5-6) 395 5 (5-6) 452 6 (6-7) 
			 25-34 748 11 (10-11) 757 11 (10-12) 785 11 (10-12) 
			 35-44 1,066 13 (12-14) 1,046 13 (12-14) 1,109 14 (13-14) 
			 45-54 893 13 (12-14) 817 12 (11-12) 914 13 (12-14) 
			 55-64 692 11 (10-12) 626 10 (9-11) 645 10 (9-11) 
			 65-74 340 8 (7-8) 306 7 (6-8) 338 7 (7-8) 
			 75-84 256 8 (7-9) 258 8 (7-9) 246 8 (7-9) 
			 85+ 110 10 (8-12) 101 9 (7-10) 98 8 (7-10) 
			 (1) Suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-IO) codes X60-X84 and YI0-Y34, excluding Y33.9 (where the Coroner's verdict was pending). (2) Suicide and undetermined intent deaths have not been included for children under the age of 15 years. (3) Confidence intervals are a measure of the statistical precision of an estimate and show the range of uncertainty around the estimated figure. Calculations based on small numbers of events are often subject to random fluctuations. As a general rule, if the confidence interval around one figure overlaps with the interval around another, we cannot say with certainty that there is more than a chance difference between the two figures. (4) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (5) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Unemployment: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many  (a) people and  (b) young people were unemployed in Tamworth constituency in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2009.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated January 2010:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many (a) people and (b) young people were unemployed in Tamworth constituency in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2009. I am replying in his absence. (311774)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey and its predecessor the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of unemployment for the requested age bands and geographies are not available.
	As an alternative, in Table 1 we have provided the number of (a) persons and (b) people aged 18-24, claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, in Tamworth constituency in November 2009, the latest date for which data is available, and November 1997.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			  Table 1: Number( 1)  of people and people aged 18-24 claiming jobseeker's allowance in Tamworth constituency 
			  Date  People  People aged 18-24 
			 November 1997 1,490 435 
			 November 2009 2,630 815 
			 (1) Age of claimants is only available for computerised claims, which account for 99.7 per cent. of all claims.  Note: All figures are rounded to the nearest 5  Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative system

JUSTICE

Burges Salmon Solicitors: Complaints

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on the adequacy of provision of advice by Burges Salmon Solicitors in respect of mortgages and other financial matters; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: Since answering the hon. Member's last question on this matter on 6 July 2009,  Official Report , column 608W, I have received further representations that relate to the provision of advice in respect of mortgages and other financial matters by Burges Salmon LLP and the Solicitors Regulation Authority's (SRA) subsequent investigation.
	As you will appreciate from my answer in July, complaints about professional misconduct of solicitors are matters for the SRA to investigate, as the legal profession is independent from the Government. As such, I cannot comment on individual cases.

Burges Salmon Solicitors: Complaints

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on the handling by the Solicitors Regulation Authority of complaints against Burges Salmon Solicitors; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: Since answering the hon. Member's last question 6 July 2009,  Official Report, column 608W, I have answered a parliamentary question from the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Dan Rogerson) 16 October 2009,  Official R eport, column 1189W and received further representations from Members of Parliament and a member of the general public regarding the conduct of Burges Salmon LLP and the Solicitors Regulation Authority's (SRA) subsequent investigation in respect of that firm's provision of legal advice in mortgage and other financial matters.
	The conduct of solicitors is a matter for the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to investigate and as such I cannot comment on individual cases. I have, however, asked the SRA to provide me with an update on their investigations. They have informed me that they are treating this matter with the highest priority, and that although the issues are exceedingly complex the investigation is almost complete. Further representations will be sought from the firm in the usual way, and a decision on appropriate action will be taken by the SRA as soon as possible.

Cremation

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what guidance has been provided to the public on what should be done with cremation ashes which are not taken home, left at a crematorium or interred;
	(2)  whether he plans to amend the Cremation Regulations 2008 to set out a clear procedure to funeral directors which are not cremation authorities on the disposal of retained cremation ashes on their premises;
	(3)  what recent representations his Department has received on retention of cremation ashes;
	(4)  what guidance has been issued by his Department to funeral directors who are not cremation authorities on the correct disposal of retained ashes.

Bridget Prentice: We currently have no plans to issue guidance on what should be done with retained cremation ashes. Regulation 30 of the Cremation (England and Wales) Regulations 2008, which came into force on 1 January 2009, sets out the duties of cremation authorities in respect of the disposal of ashes. Although a number of representations on this subject were received by the Ministry of Justice in 2008 and 2009, no further representations have been received recently.

Departmental Conferences

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) away days and  (b) conferences that took place outside his Department's building attended by civil servants in his Department there have been since its inception; and what the cost was of each.

Michael Wills: The information requested is as follows:
	 Away  d ays
	Away days are held mainly for team building, team training or business development activities. Such events are held off-site where suitable on-site accommodation is unavailable and where the conduct of the event is facilitated by holding it away from day-to-day business operations.
	The Ministry's accounting systems do not separately quantify expenditure on away days. Costs are subsumed within other categories of expenditure depending on their nature and purpose-for example conferences/events or training. It would incur disproportionate costs to scrutinise all the individual transactions which might potentially include away day costs across the Ministry and its executive agencies.
	All spending on away days is completed in line with the finance policy manual, which is in line with HM Treasury Guidance on Managing Public Money, and states the following for away days and team building events:
	These occasional events are organised to develop working relationships and achieve Departmental objectives. They are acceptable as long as the event can be justified as good value for money and can demonstrate development achievements. Costs should be reasonable and comparable to the status of the event.
	Wherever possible, taking, into account room availability, size and flexibility, managers are expected to use Ministry or other public sector buildings for team events and away days rather than using external venues.
	 Conferences
	The Ministry's accounting system records a wider category of expenditure-'conferences and events'-for headquarters, Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) and the Tribunals Service. The National Offender Management Service's (NOMS) accounting system records 'conferences and exhibitions' but their procurement system is able to isolate costs that relate to attendance at conferences. Expenditure on this basis since the inception of the Ministry of Justice for headquarters and its four executive agencies (NOMS, HMCS, Tribunals Service and the Office of the Public Guardian) is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial period  £ 
			 2008-09 5,875,035 
			 2007-08 4,256,611 
		
	
	The amounts above exclude expenditure by the 42 local probation boards and trusts within NOMS as this information is held locally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
	As part of the Ministry's ongoing efforts to improve value for money and secure efficiencies, an exercise is currently underway to examine the individual transactions that make up the preceding totals. Work completed to date indicates that some of the expenditure relates more properly to away days or training events rather than conferences. The number of individual conferences attended cannot therefore be determined at this stage.
	The increasingly cross-cutting nature of government policy makes conferences an effective mechanism for bringing together stakeholders in the Government, private and voluntary sectors to promote a joined-up approach to the delivery of front-line services.
	Bookings for conferences arid related expenditure must be made through designated contractors employed by the Ministry of Justice to identify venues and accommodation that offers best value for money.

Departmental Food

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the quantity of food waste generated by his Department in each year for which figures are available.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) endeavours to send as much of its food waste as possible for environmentally friendly treatment, such as composting or anaerobic digestion, rather than to landfill. The MOJ does not currently record food waste generated separately from general waste throughout the organisation.
	The total figure for food waste generated by the MOJ's headquarters from 2007 to 2009-10 is estimated to be 341 tonnes. This is based on a waste audit carried out by waste and recycling contractors in August 2009. The National Archives estimates that the food waste it generates each year is approximately three tonnes.
	
		
			  Tonnes 
			   MOJ headquarters  The National Archives 
			 2007-08 106 3 
			 2008-09 168 3 
			 2009-10 67 3 
		
	
	HM Prison Service carried out two surveys as part of a business case to evaluate requirements for in-vessel composting and de-watering technology with the overall aim of providing an effective solution to sites with food waste disposal issues and upholding the philosophy of waste to resource, which means taking waste and processing it into a useful, useable product and adding value to it. In 2006, based on 32 prisons, on average 1.45 kg of food per prison place were wasted per week. In 2007, based on 51 prisons, the figure was 1.34 kg of food waste per prison place per week.
	
		
			   2006  2007 
			 Number of persons responding 32 51 
			 Operational capacity 17,416 30,121 
			 Average food waste per place per week (kg) 1.45 1.34 
		
	
	The use of de-watering and in-vessel composting technology has been introduced at around 35 prisons to process food waste into compost. The compost is used on prison gardens and horticultural activities thereby reducing the requirement for bought-in compost and contributing towards the HM Prison Service strategy for phasing out peat-based products.
	Additionally, a small scale anaerobic digestion plant has been installed in Guy Marsh Prison with the objective of processing biodegradable wastes, including food waste, into biogas.
	HM Courts Service could provide the data only at disproportionate cost.

Expert Evidence: Costs

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to the Exchequer of expert witnesses in  (a) criminal and  (b) civil legal aid cases was in the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) does not record centrally the amounts paid to expert witnesses in legally aided cases. As this information is not readily available it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, following a file sampling exercise, it is estimated that in 2007-08 the LSC spent around £125 million gross on experts' fees in legally aided criminal and civil cases. In addition in criminal cases, there would also be costs to the Exchequer from expert witnesses funded by the prosecution.

Gender Recognition Panels

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding his Department has provided to the Gender Recognition Panel in each of the last three years.

Jack Straw: I refer the hon. Member to my answers on 9 December 2009,  Official Report, columns 464-65W, which set out the costs of the Gender Recognition Panel over the last three years.
	
		
			   Cost (£) 
			 2006-07 216,480 
			 2007-08 173,109 
			 2008-09(1) 121,293 
			 (1) 2008-09 The administrative element of the cost for this year is not on a similar basis due to a change in accounting procedures. This component is now recorded within the overall administrative cost of the Leicestershire Administrative Support Centre, where the Gender Recognition Panel is based. This accounts for a reduction of £14,364 between costs in 2007-08 and 2008-09.

Land Registry

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on  (a) land purchase,  (b) architectural fees,  (c) fixtures and fittings and  (d) other costs of the construction and furnishing of the Land Registry office in Croydon.

Michael Wills: The overall cost to build the Land Registry office in Croydon, including project management and consultancy fees, was £18,793,041.
	The figures requested are as follows :
	 (a) £2,863,496 was spent on the purchase of land
	 (b) £1,227,604 was spent on architectural fees
	 (c) £101,129 was spent on fixtures and fittings
	 (d) £14,600,812 was spent on other costs of the construction and furnishing.

Land Registry

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much consultants employed to assist on the Land Registry's Accelerated Transformation Programme have been paid to date.

Michael Wills: The consultants engaged to assist on Land Registry's Accelerated Transformation Programme have been paid £436,937 for their services to date.

Magistrates Courts: Closures

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to publish his response to his Department's consultations on court closures which ended on 5 January 2010.

Jack Straw: We are grateful to all those who have contributed to the consultation process and we will publish our response in due course.

Medway Secure Training Centre

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average annual cost is of a place for a young offender at Medway Secure Training Centre.

Maria Eagle: The average annual cost of a place at a Secure Training Centre at 1 April 2009 is £160,000. This is the average annual cost of a place across the Secure Training Centre sector.
	These data have been provided by the Youth Justice Board.

Medway Secure Training Centre

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young offenders there are at Medway Secure Training Centre.

Maria Eagle: On 27 November 2009, there were 66 young people held at Medway Secure Training Centre.
	These data have been supplied by the Youth Justice Board and have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time.

Medway Secure Training Centre

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many hours of education and training a week young offenders at Medway Secure Training Centre receive.

Maria Eagle: The performance measure is to ensure that 90 per cent. of young people receive 30 hours of education, training and personal development activity per week, as defined in the National Specifications for Learning and Skills document.
	Medway Secure Training Centre reports on the percentage of young people receiving education, training and personal development of more than 30 hours a week and this information is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Table showing percentage of young people at Medway STC receiving education, training and personal development of more than 30 hours a week 
			   Percentage 
			 October 2008 100.0 
			 November 2008 100.0 
			 December 2008 100.0 
			 January 2009 100.0 
			 February 2009 100.0 
			 March 2009 100.0 
			 April 2009 100.0 
			 May 2009 100.0 
			 June 2009 100.0 
			 July 2009 100.0 
			 August 2009 100.0 
			 September 2009 100.0 
			 Overall 100.0

Medway Secure Training Centre

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many hours a day young offenders at Medway Secure Training Centre spend out of cell.

Maria Eagle: The average number of hours per day that young people spent out of their rooms during September 2009 at Medway Secure Training Centre was 13.6 hours.
	These data have been self-reported by the centre to the Youth Justice Board. While the Youth Justice Board seeks to verify self-reported data, accuracy may be subject to change.

Medway Secure Training Centre

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many hours a week are spent by offenders at Medway Secure Training Centre in  (a) team sport and  (b) physical exercise.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is not collected.
	The Youth Justice Board National Standards require establishments to provide young people a minimum of one hour access to fresh air per day.

Medway Secure Training Centre

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of young offenders aged  (a) 12 to 15 and  (b) over 15 years released from Medway Secure Training Centre have been convicted of a further offence within 12 months of release in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Data are not available for the reoffending rates of young offenders released from individual secure training centres. Individual establishment names are not included in the datasets used to produce the reoffending statistics.
	Information on the rates of reoffending for all young offenders aged 12 to 15 and 16 to 17 and released from custody (from young offender institutions, secure training centres or secure children's homes) is available, however. The proportion of offenders that committed a further offence within 12 months of release is shown in the following table, split by age group.
	
		
			  Cohort  Age  Number of offenders  Percentage of offenders that committed a further offence 
			 2003 12-15 133 78.2 
			  16-17 653 72.9 
			 
			 2004 12-15 209 80.4 
			  16-17 606 75.1 
			 
			 2005 12-15 193 80.8 
			  16-17 649 71.0 
			 
			 2006 12-15 200 83.0 
			  16-17 617 75.0 
			 
			 2007 12-15 171 78.9 
			  16-17 607 74.3 
		
	
	For more information on juvenile reoffending rates please see the publication 'Reoffending of juveniles: Results from the 2007 cohort; which is available from:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/reoffendingjuveniles.htm

Medway Secure Training Centre

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of young offenders have spent  (a) less than three months,  (b) three to six months and  (c) six to nine months at Medway Secure Training Centre in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The following table shows the number of custodial episodes that ended between 1 December 2008 and 30 November 2009, who have spent  (a) less than three months,  (b) three to six months and  (c) six to nine months at Medway Secure Training Centre, as a percentage of the total number of custodial episodes in that period.
	An episode refers to a period a young person has spent in custody and it is possible that one young person can start more than one custodial episode in a 12-month period.
	
		
			  Medway Secure Training Centre 
			   Percentage 
			 Less then three months 65 
			 Three to six months 25 
			 Six to nine months 8 
		
	
	These data have been supplied by the Youth Justice Board and have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time.

Prisoners

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of the prison population achieved a basic skills qualification in each of the last three years.

Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is not collected in the format requested. The following table sets out the Skills for Life qualifications achieved by offenders in the three academic years from August 2006 to July 2009. The figures will include a small number of achievements by offenders serving sentences in the community. The table also shows the total number of first receptions entering prison during the period June to July for 2006-07 and 2007-08.
	
		
			  England 
			  Academic year (August to July)  Skills for Life achievements  First receptions into prison 
			 2006-07 24,762 125,881 
			 2007-08 33,810 134,148 
			 2008-09 (1)29,859 (2)- 
			 (1) Provisional figure-to be confirmed at the end of February 2010. (2) Figure not available until July 2010.

Prisoners Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people convicted of burglary have been released under the End of Custody Licence scheme.

Maria Eagle: End of Custody Licence (ECL) was introduced on 29 June 2007. Eligible prisoners serving between four weeks and four years are released on licence a maximum of 18 days earlier than the date they are entitled to be released, subject to meeting strict eligibility criteria and providing a release address. The first report on the operation of the scheme, which included a breakdown of offences, was published on 16 July 2007. Since then, monthly reports have been published on the Ministry of Justice website, at the following address:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/endofcustodylicence.htm
	From the start of the scheme to the end of November 2009, 6,795 prisoners had been released on ECL whose original offence had been burglary. Total releases for the same period was 74,669.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Females

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what training is required to be undertaken by prison staff working in women's prisons on self-harm, suicide, domestic abuse and sexual abuse.

Maria Eagle: New prison officers are required to complete a one-year foundation training programme, leading to a level 3 National Vocational Qualification in Custodial Care. Training begins with an eight-week Prison Officer Entry Level Training course. The training covers the practical skills needed to be a prison officer and includes areas such as interpersonal skills, diversity and self harm/suicide awareness.
	All staff in regular contact with prisoners are required to undertake the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) Foundation course. This is a three-hour course which covers the risks associated with self-harm and suicide, and the ACCT process and documentation.
	In addition, the Women Awareness Staff Programme, designed to raise awareness of as many aspects of working with women prisoners as possible, has been accredited and is now being delivered across the women's estate. The course includes modules on, security; self-harm and abuse. It is the intention that all staff and volunteers working in the women's prison estate will undertake the programme.

Probation

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of Probation Service Staff in  (a) England,  (b) Wales and  (c) Dyfed Powys undertake duties involving face-to-face contact with offenders; and what proportion of their working time is spent in such contact for such staff in each area.

Maria Eagle: The number of probation service staff whose primary task is offender facing work in England is 67.9 per cent., in Wales 63.2 per cent. and in Dyfed-Powys 65.6 per cent. Our statistics record staff undertaking duties involving face-to-face contact with offenders as: qualified probation officers (PO), probation service officers (PSO), and trainee probation officers.
	Delivery structures across probation areas vary as do the requirements of specific roles and the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) does not routinely report on the proportion of working time spent in face- to-face contact with offenders. In December 2008, the NOMS undertook a snapshot survey over a one week period, based on a small sample of PO and PSO staff. It reported that across England and Wales 24 per cent. of PO/PSO time was spent in direct contact with offenders, 41 per cent. was involved in computer activity and 35 per cent. of time was spent on non-computer-dealing with correspondence, meetings, travel, etc. The equivalent figures in the same survey for Dyfed-Powys were 21 per cent., 45 per cent. and 34 per cent.
	The reporting of the results against only three main headings means that much of the detail is open to interpretation. For example, time spent on computer activity is productive time, in that it involves the production of reports and assessments on individual cases. The recording of risk assessments, which is an integral part of this work, is vital to ongoing case management, and the proper recording of case information is essential to the provision of statistical information which can be deployed to develop NOMS's offender management strategy. Even if only about three-quarters of this time were included as work on cases this gives a picture of more like 54 per cent. of time being spent on work with individual offenders.
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is taking action to increase the amount of time staff spend in face-to-face contact with offenders.
	NOMS will achieve this by:
	allocating resources to the assessment and management of offenders according to the level of risk;
	the creation of probation trusts;
	a national programme of specifying probation work, and benchmarking performance, to support the effective deployment of front line staff;
	identifying opportunities for reducing bureaucracy and other demands currently placed on front-line staff; and
	expanding the use of video conferencing to reduce the time probation staff spend travelling to interview prisoners.

Probation

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he plans to take to increase the amount of time probation staff spend in face-to-face contact with offenders.

Maria Eagle: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is taking action to increase the amount of time staff spend in face-to-face contact with offenders.
	NOMS will achieve this by:
	allocating resources to the assessment and management of offenders according to the level of risk;
	the creation of probation trusts;
	a national programme of specifying probation work, and benchmarking performance, to support the effective deployment of front line staff;
	identifying opportunities for reducing bureaucracy and other demands currently placed on front-line staff; and
	expanding the use of video conferencing to reduce the time probation staff spend travelling to interview prisoners.

Victim Support Schemes: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has contributed to victim support schemes in Gloucestershire in each year since 1999.

Claire Ward: Prior to 2001 records of specific allocation of how Victim Support decided to allocate Government funding, broken down into areas, is not available. The table below gives the detail of the allocation of Government funding to Gloucestershire from 2001 to date.
	
		
			   Total government funding to Victim Support (£ million)  Funding allocated to Gloucestershire (£) 
			 1999-2000 17.5 n/a 
			 2000-2001 18.6 n/a 
			 2001-2002 25.1 268,831 
			 2002-2003 29.3 281,590 
			 2003-2004 30 269,590 
			 2004-2005 30 259,118 
			 2005-2006 30 239,843 
			 2006-2007 30 223,480 
			 2007-2008 35.8 236,935 
			 2008-2009 37 265,220 
			 n/a = Not available

HOME DEPARTMENT

Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) committees and  (b) sub-committees of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs are; when each such committee last met; and who the (i) chair and (ii) members of each committee are.

Alan Campbell: The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) last met on 14 December 2009. The current interim Chair is Professor Les Iversen, appointed on 13 January 2010.
	The current membership of the Council is as follows;
	Dr. Dima Abdulrahim
	Lord Victor Adebowale
	Commander Simon Bray
	Mr. Martin Barnes
	Dr. Margaret Birtwistle
	Mr. Eric Carlin
	Ms Carmel Clancy
	Professor Ilana Crome
	Ms Robyn Doran
	Mr. Patrick Hargreaves
	Ms Caroline Healy
	Dr. Matthew Hickman
	Professor Leslie Iversen
	Mr. David Liddell
	Dr. Fiona Measham
	Mr. Trevor Pearce
	District Judge Justin Philips
	Mr. Richard Phillips
	Mr. Howard Roberts
	Dr. Mary Rowlands
	Dr. Polly Taylor
	Ms Monique Tomlinson
	Mr. Arthur Wing.
	 Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Committees and Sub-Committees
	 Technical Committee
	The Technical Committee is a standing committee of the ACMD; and last met on 29 October 2009. The Technical Committee is currently undertaking the work on New Psychoactive Substances and Cognition Enhancers in addition to maintaining a 'watching brief' on a number of other substances.
	The membership of the Technical Committee is as follows:
	Chair: Professor Les Iversen
	Dr. Dima Abdulrahim
	Dr. Margaret Birtwistle
	Dr. Matthew Hickman
	Dr. Polly Taylor
	District Judge Justin Phillips
	Deputy Chief Constable Howard Roberts
	Mr. Martin Barnes
	Commander Simon Bray.
	In addition to the above, the Technical Committee has a number of co-opted members with expertise in forensic science, chemistry and medicine.
	 Anabolic Steroids Working Group
	The Anabolic Steroids Working Group is a short-term working group, considering the misuse of anabolic steroids in the UK. The working group last met on 1 October 2009.
	The membership of the Anabolic Steroids Working Group is as follows:
	Chair: Professor Les Iversen
	District Judge Justin Phillips
	Mr. Martin Barnes
	Commander Simon Bray
	Mr. Trevor Pearce.
	In addition to the above, the Anabolic Steroids Working Group has a number of co-opted members with expertise in chemistry, forensic science, anabolic steroid misuse and service provision.
	 Simultaneous Poly-substance Misuse Working Group
	The Simultaneous Poly-substance Misuse Working Group last met on 30 September 2009. The Chair of the Simultaneous Poly-substance Misuse Working Group was Dr. John Marsden. Dr. Marsden resigned from the ACMD on 10 November 2009. It is proposed that this working group will be chaired by Dr. Fiona Measham.
	The membership of the Simultaneous Poly-substance Misuse Working Group is as follows:
	Proposed Chair: Fiona Measham
	Ms Carmel Clancy
	Dr. Mary Rowlands
	Dr. Matthew Hickman.
	In addition to the above, the Simultaneous Poly-substance Misuse Working Group has a co-opted member with expertise in cellular mechanisms.

Arrests: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people resident in the London borough of Bexley have been arrested but released without charge in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The arrest statistics held by the Home Office are broken down by police force area only and therefore we cannot provide information for the London borough of Bexley area.
	Statistics relating to the stages after a person has been arrested are not reported to the Home Office, so we are also unable to provide these data.

Closed Circuit Television: Complaints

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers the interim CCTV regulator will have to investigate complaints of the abuse or misuse of CCTV; and what sanctions the regulator will be able to invoke against such abuse or misuse.

Alan Campbell: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made to the House on 15 December 2009,  Official Report, column 113WS. Part of the role of the Interim Regulator will be to promote public awareness of the complaints process and criteria for complaints to the relevant agencies (for example, Information Commissioner, local authority or private organisation); and how to deal with complaints relating to technical standards. This will include working with and encouraging CCTV system owners and users to have in place a suitable process to raise awareness of what the public can do if they have a particular concern about the operation of CCTV in their area.

Closed Circuit Television: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding his Department has given to local authorities in Greater London for the provision of CCTV in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The information is not held centrally. Between 1999 and 2003, £170 million of Home Office capital funding under the Crime Reduction Programme was made available to local authorities for investment in public space CCTV. Around 680 CCTV town centre schemes were set up with this funding. Local authorities benefit from area based grants that allow them to spend on CCTV and other areas as they see fit to support the delivery of local, regional and national priorities in their area.

Control Orders

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many independent medical assessments of the  (a) mental and  (b) physical condition of individuals subject to a control order have been undertaken since the implementation of such orders; and what criteria are used to determine when such an assessment is appropriate.

David Hanson: The Home Office is aware of 24 independent medical assessments-22 in relation to mental health and two in relation to physical health-that have been undertaken on individuals subject to control orders since March 2005. Of these assessments, eight were commissioned by the Home Office, 12 were commissioned by controlled persons' legal representatives and two were jointly commissioned by the Home Office and the controlled person's legal representatives. These independent medical assessments relate to nine individuals as some controlled individuals have had more than one medical assessment. Individuals subject to control orders are not required to notify the Home Office when they undergo an independent medical assessment so these figures are not necessarily comprehensive.
	The Home Office may commission a medical assessment if a controlled individual, or lawyers acting on their behalf, have commissioned a medical assessment. However unless an individual is sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983 they cannot be forced to undergo a medical assessment.

Control Orders

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of individuals subject to a control order have been assessed as requiring care in relation to their mental health since the implementation of such orders; and what proportion of such individuals had a mental health condition at the time they were made subject to a control order.

David Hanson: As of 10 December last year 45 individuals had been subject to a control order. Of these, the Home Office is aware of 12 individuals who have been assessed as having mental health issues, including depression, while on a control order. Individuals subject to control orders are not required to notify the Home Office of any diagnosis in relation to their mental health or of any medical care that they are assessed to require so these figures are not necessarily comprehensive.
	The Home Office is aware that seven of the 12 individuals referred to above had mental health issues prior to the imposition of the control order.

Crime

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents with notifiable crime codes  (a) 1,  (b) 2,  (c) 4.1,  (d) 4.2,  (e) 4.3,  (f) 4.4,  (g) 4.6,  (h) 4.7,  (i) 4.8,  (j) 4.9,  (k) 4.10,  (l) 5A,  (m) 5B,  (n) 5C,  (o) 8A,  (p) 8D,  (q) 8F,  (r) 8G,  (s) 8H,  (t) 8J,  (u) 8K and  (v) 37.1 which were also monitored under Priority 1 of Public Service Agreement 23 were recorded by each police force in each month since April 2006.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 14 January 2010
	Since 2007-08, the Home Office have reconciled recorded crime data with forces on a quarterly basis but not for months, so only quarterly data are provided. Quarterly data are provided for 2006-07 to 2008-09. Data at police force level for quarters in 2009-10 have not yet been published.
	Data for 2006-07 are broken down by quarter and data are shown in Tables A to D. Similarly, data for 2007-08 are shown in Tables E to H and data for 2008-09 are shown in Tables I to L placed in the House Library.
	Data are in line with data published in October 2009. Updated data will be available after the publication of the next quarterly bulletin on 21 January 2010.

Crime: Nature Conservation

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he issues to chief constables on recording crime involving wildlife.

Alan Campbell: The National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) is the guidance issued to all police forces in England and Wales on the recording of crime. It has two basic principles, that of a victim focus and consistency of recording.
	The Notifiable Offence List (NOL) is a list of crimes that when they come to the notice of the police (including some wildlife offences) the police have to record using the guidance within NCRS. The police must notify the Home Office of the following wildlife offences:
	Introduction of new species etc. under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 sec. 14 and, Wildlife offences under the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997 these being subsumed in a broader other offences category.
	Most wildlife offences are not on the NOL, but cautioning and conviction data on these types of offences are collected by the Ministry of Justice.
	The NOL can be found on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/countrules.html

Crime: Preston

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change in numbers of  (a) overall recorded crimes,  (b) recorded violent crimes,  (c) burglaries and  (d) vehicle thefts in Preston has been since 1997.

Alan Campbell: Information is not available in the form requested. Since 1997, there have been two major changes to the way crime is recorded. The effect of extending the coverage and changing the counting rules in 1998 was to artificially increase total recorded crime nationally by 14 per cent. It is estimated that the effect of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in April 2002 caused a further artificial increase of 10 per cent. in total recorded crime in its first year. For these reasons data between 1997 and 2008-09 are not directly comparable.
	The latest comparable data are for offences recorded in Preston between 2002-03 and 2008-09 and are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage change in selected offences recorded by the police in Preston between 2002 - 03 and 2008 - 09 
			   Percentage change 
			 Total recorded crime -20 
			 Violence against the person +27 
			 Burglary -45 
			 Theft of a vehicle -47 
			 Theft from a vehicle -54

Crimes of Violence

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of violence against the person  (a) with and  (b) without injury were recorded by each police force in each month since April 2006.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 14 January 2010
	Since 2007-08, the Home Office have reconciled recorded crime data with forces on a quarterly basis but not for months, so only quarterly data are provided. Quarterly data are provided for 2006-07 to 2008-09. Data at police force level relating to quarters in 2009-10 data have not yet been published.
	Data for 2006-07 are broken down by quarter and data are shown in Tables A to D. Similarly, data for 2007-08 are shown in Tables E to H and data for 2008-09 are shown in Tables I to L placed in the House Library.
	Data are in line with the data published in October 2009. Updated data will be available after the publication of the next quarterly bulletin on crime on 21 January 2010.

Crimes of Violence: Halifax

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded incidents of violent crime there were in Halifax in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2009.

Alan Campbell: The term 'violent crime' is no longer used and we now provide figures for violence against the person.
	Additionally, the Halifax area does not directly map to a police force, Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) or Basic Command Unit (BCU). However, data are available for Calderdale.
	At BCU and CDRP level, 2,951 violence against the person offences were recorded in 2008-09 in Calderdale, compared to 4,532 in 2004-05.

Criminal Records

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many records on the Police National Computer are held in respect of individuals arrested but not charged with or convicted of a criminal offence.

David Hanson: holding answer 18 January 2010
	The Police National Computer is an operational tool used for policing purposes and is not designed to produce the information requested. The information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Buildings

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) area and  (b) estimated value is of (i) vacant and (ii) occupied office space (A) owned and (B) rented by his Department.

Phil Woolas: The Department holds 20,801m(2) of owned and rented offices other than PFI. Currently no owned office space is vacant and 160m(2) of rented office space is vacant estimated to cost £24,000 per annum in rent. Current rental values are not held for rented space but the total current rent payment figure is £6.5 million. The book value of our owned office space is currently £7.75 million.

Departmental Food

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the quantity of food waste generated by his Department in each year for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: The HO records its total waste arisings as required for the annual Sustainable Development in Government report, and is working to reduce its total waste arisings. The HO does not record food waste as a separate waste stream.

Departmental Housing

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) flats and  (b) houses are (i) owned and (ii) rented by his Department for use by officials who are required to work in London away from home.

Phil Woolas: None. From information currently held and recorded centrally my Department does not own or rent residential accommodation for use by Home Office civil servants.

Departmental Official Residences

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons the former ministerial residence at 62 South Eaton Place has not yet been sold; and what advice his Department has commissioned on the marketing of the property.

Phil Woolas: 62 South Eaton Place was placed on the market in September 2008 through leading agents and has attracted considerable interest. A redacted copy of the agent's pre-disposal report has previously been placed in the Library. Following a recent further advertisement in the national press closing offers are anticipated shortly.

Departmental Public Consultation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) citizens' juries and  (b) summits have been hosted by his Department since June 2007; on what date each event took place; and which Ministers were present at each event.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office has held one citizens' jury to discuss the issues of law and order, crime-fighting and community policing. It was held on 12 September 2007 in Leicester.
	The Home Secretary and Prime Minister attended the event, along with approximately 105 members of the public. The transcript for the event can be found on the Parliament website at:
	http://www.parliament.uk/deposits/depositedpapers/2008/DEP2008-0887.pdf
	The Home Office has held no citizens' summits since 2007. However, the Department has held two stakeholder summits. On 20 May 2008 my hon. Friends the Member for Gedling (Mr. Coaker) (former Home Office Minister), the Member for Cardiff, West (Kevin Brennan) (former DCSF Minister) and my right hon. Friend the Member for Pontypridd (Dr. Howells) (former FCO Minister) attended a summit with stakeholders from the drugs sector to discuss the current levels of cocaine use and its impact on individuals and communities. On 4 February 2009 the former Home Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Redditch (Jacqui Smith) attended a burglary summit with voluntary, private and public sector stakeholders to discuss what more could be done to protect vulnerable people against burglary.

Departmental Public Consultation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizen juries or summits have been hosted by his Department since October 2008; on what date each event took place; and which Ministers were present at each event.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 14 January 2010
	The Home Office has not held any citizens' juries since October 2008.
	The Home Office has held no citizens' summits since October 2008. However, the Department has held one stakeholder summit. On 4 February 2009 the former Home Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Redditch (Jacqui Smith) attended a burglary summit with voluntary, private and public sector stakeholders to discuss what more could be done to protect vulnerable people against burglary.

Detention Centres: Children

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with the UK Border Agency on policy on detention of children in immigration removal centres.

Meg Hillier: I recently assumed responsibility for overseeing the policy surrounding the detention of children for the purposes of immigration control and held discussions with UK Border Agency officials about the main policy issues in December.
	Families with children are detained only where they have failed to leave the UK voluntarily despite the courts having upheld a decision of the UK Border Agency that they have no legal basis of stay in the country. Detention is necessary to effect removal in these circumstances.
	We aim to keep such detention to the minimum period necessary and, to this end, it is subject to frequent and rigorous review, including ministerial scrutiny in those minority of cases where detention lasts for 28 days or more.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visa applications have been made to enable attendance at courses at each National Qualification Framework level in the UK since March 2009.

Phil Woolas: The United Kingdom Border Agency does not keep a central record of the level of courses proposed by student visa applicants. The information requested could therefore be obtained from individual records only at disproportionate cost.
	Between April and September 2009, 264,205 applications were received and 180,773 visas issued under Tier 4 of the Points Based System (Students).

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many colleges which have had Tier 4 sponsor licences revoked are registered with Companies House.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 18 January 2010
	As at 14 January, 13 education providers have had their Tier 4 sponsorship licence revoked, of which 11 are registered with Companies House.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visa applications have been made to study in  (a) higher education institutions,  (b) further education colleges,  (c) sixth form colleges and (d) schools in the UK since March 2009.

Phil Woolas: The United Kingdom Border Agency does not keep a central record of the types of educational establishments proposed by student visa applicants. The information requested could therefore be obtained from individual records only at disproportionate cost.
	Between April and September 2009, 264,205 applications were received and 180,773 visas issued under Tier 4 of the Points Based System (Students).

Entry Clearances: Thailand

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visitor visa applications have been made from British missions in Thailand in the last 12 months for which figures are available; how many of those applications have been  (a) accepted and  (b) rejected; and how many have been the subject of appeal.

Phil Woolas: In the 12-month period from October 2008 to September 2009, our Visa Section in Bangkok received 53,419 visit visa applications, refused 4,801 such applications and issued 47,604 visit visas. We are unable to identify from our records those appeals that were received specifically against the refusal of visit visa applications. However, the total number of appeals lodged during this period against Bangkok visa refusals in general was 478.

European Convention on Cybercrime

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are required in order for the UK to achieve ratification of the Council of European Convention on Cybercrime.

Alan Campbell: The process for ratifying the Cybercrime Convention is to check that we meet the requirements of the Articles of the Convention and then to gain agreement from the devolved administrations that any legislation or processes specific to them are reflected in the ratification.
	This process is nearing completion and the Government expect to seek Parliament's approval for ratification in the near future.

Extradition: USA

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2010,  Official Report, column 518W, on extradition: USA, and pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2010 by the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office,  Official Report, columns 419-20W, on USA: extradition, how he ensures that he exercises his powers in respect of such extraditions to the US in accordance with the obligations of the Human Rights Act 1998.

Meg Hillier: holding answer 18 January 2010
	The Secretary of State has an implied power to withdraw an extradition order where, exceptionally, a new issue arises subsequent to the completion of all proceedings under the Extradition Act 2003 but before the person has been extradited. The basis for that implied power, whether in respect of an extradition request from the USA or from any other of the UK's many extradition partners, is section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998. It follows that the new issue must be evidence that extradition would breach the person's convention rights. In deciding that question, the Secretary of State considers thoroughly all of the issues raised taking account of legal advice available to him and recognising that his decision in such cases is susceptible to challenge by judicial review.

Firearms: Licensing

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many handgun licences are held by individuals who are not members of the security services, the armed forces or the police.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 7 January 2010
	Information on the total number of handguns held on firearms certificates is not available centrally. A firearms certificate is not needed by members of the security services, the armed forces or the police who are required to possess firearms in the performance of their official duties.

Forensic Science Service: Chorley

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he had with the Chief Constable of Lancashire Police on the closure of Chorley Forensic Science Service laboratory.

Alan Campbell: Decisions on the future of the Forensic Science Service Ltd.'s laboratory in Chorley are a matter for the management and board of the company. Home Office Ministers have had no discussion with the Chief Constable of Lancashire. However, the Chairman of FSS Ltd. met the Chief Constable on 18 August 2009, specifically to discuss the company's plans for transformation.

Forensic Science Service: Chorley

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent assessment is of the future of the Forensic Science Service laboratory at Chorley.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 18 January 2010
	The future of the Forensic Science Service Ltd.'s laboratory in Chorley is a matter for the management and board of the company. Currently, the intention is to wind down operational activity with a view to closure by spring 2011.

Identity Cards and Passports: Greater Manchester

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications have been made by residents of  (a) Manchester and  (b) the Greater Manchester area for (i) a stand alone identity card, (ii) a passport plus identity card and (iii) a stand alone passport.

Meg Hillier: Since 30 November 2009 and up to and including 14 January 2010, over 1,300 people who live in Greater Manchester, have applied and attended an enrolment appointment for an identity card.
	For the same period over 439,000 passport applications were received in total by the Identity and Passport Service. Information about passports is not readily held in a format to enable a further breakdown of those resident in Greater Manchester.
	Those British citizens eligible for an identity card are also able to apply for a passport. However, the passport and identity card application processes are currently separate. While a precise date has not yet been set, we are planning to start issuing fingerprint biometric passports from 2012, so that from then onwards any adult who decides to apply for a British passport will also have the choice of being issued with a fingerprint biometric identity card or both documents all on a voluntary basis through a single application process.

Independent Safeguarding Authority

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training staff of the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) will undertake on commencement of their employment; and what ongoing training will be provided for ISA employees.

Meg Hillier: All staff attend a corporate induction day which includes information on information governance and security, terms and conditions of employment and health and safety. Each casework employee undergoes a Caseworker Development Programme (CWDP) upon joining the ISA. The CWDP is six weeks of intensive training made up of classroom and practical experience.
	Following this, casework officers, decision makers, team managers and unit heads undertake the University Certificate of Advanced Professional Development (UCAPD)-Professional Decision Making in Independent Safeguarding Authority Casework, which is an Accredited Caseworker Programme. The UCAPD is accredited by Teesside university.
	Staff will benefit from on-going training programmes which cover a range of specialist areas including legal training, risk management, equality and diversity, changes in IT and business processes, policies and procedures.

Independent Safeguarding Authority

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the average cost to the Independent Safeguarding Authority of processing a vetting application.

Meg Hillier: The fee for application to the Vetting and Barring Scheme reflects the anticipated average cost per application of £64. Of this, £28 represents the costs of the Independent Safeguarding Authority and £36 those of the Criminal Records Bureau.

Independent Safeguarding Authority

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department has produced on the obligations of organisations in respect of the vetting of their staff by the Independent Safeguarding Authority.

Meg Hillier: Interim guidance on the Vetting and Barring Scheme including the responsibilities of employers was issued in November 2009. Further guidance will make clear that applications to the scheme will initially be limited to new entrants to regulated activities as defined under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, and thereafter applications should be made on a phased basis. Similar advice will be provided to Criminal Records Bureau-registered bodies which help manage the application process.

Independent Safeguarding Authority

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations his Department has received from voluntary organisations on the Independent Safeguarding Authority's vetting procedure.

Meg Hillier: Representations have been received about a range of Vetting and Barring Scheme issues from a number of voluntary sector organisations. Regular consultation meetings are held with the voluntary sector and other stakeholders to discuss and resolve issues raised. Relevant feedback is considered by the scheme and by the ISA, which is responsible for vetting procedures.

Independent Safeguarding Authority

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the amount of fees to be paid for registration with the Independent Safeguarding Authority in the next three years.

Meg Hillier: The total value of fees for applications to the Vetting and Barring Scheme, based on an estimate of the numbers likely to apply to the scheme over the first three years, is £277.1 million. Fee income is intended to cover the estimated costs of both the Independent Safeguarding Authority and the Criminal Records Bureau.

Independent Safeguarding Authority

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what Independent Safeguarding Authority procedures will apply to companies which have school pupils undertaking work experience.

Meg Hillier: Where staff are directly supervising children on work experience schemes, this constitutes regulated activities and companies or other agencies will not be able to employ in these posts any person they know to be barred from such work. Registration with the Vetting and Barring Scheme will not be a legal requirement in these circumstances, but employers will be able to check the status of relevant staff within the scheme. Placement organisers will work closely with providers to ensure appropriate procedures are followed.

Independent Safeguarding Authority

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to which occupations Independent Safeguarding Authority procedures relating to controlled activities will apply.

Meg Hillier: The definition of controlled activities for the purposes of applications to the Vetting and Barring Scheme are set out in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. Provisions for controlled activities are currently under review in accordance with the recommendations of Sir Roger Singleton.

Independent Safeguarding Authority

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of people likely to be referred to the Independent Safeguarding Authority on the grounds that they pose a risk of harm to vulnerable groups in the first year of operation of the vetting and barring scheme.

Meg Hillier: The overall estimate of cases to be referred to the ISA in the first year is 28,000.

Independent Safeguarding Authority

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff are employed on the Independent Safeguarding Authority helpline; and what training such staff have received.

Meg Hillier: A helpline has been established to provide information on the vetting and barring scheme as a whole. This is contracted out to a commercial supplier, with standards set for the quality and volume of responses. Staffing levels and suitable training are determined by the provider to meet the overall requirements of the contract.

Independent Safeguarding Authority

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of public sector workers likely to register with the Independent Safeguarding Authority in each of the next three years.

Meg Hillier: Estimates have not been made in the form requested.

Independent Safeguarding Authority

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of agency workers who will be required to pay the full fee for registration with the Independent Safeguarding Authority in each of the next three years.

Meg Hillier: Estimates have not been made in the form requested. Estimates are based on the total numbers likely to apply to the scheme.

Independent Safeguarding Authority

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners and  (b) unemployed people who will be required to pay the full registration fee for the Independent Safeguarding Authority in each of the next three years.

Meg Hillier: Estimates have not been made in the form requested. Fees for application to the vetting and barring scheme are charged to those in paid employment. No fee is payable for persons undertaking unpaid voluntary work.

Internet: Privacy

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with  (a) his EU counterparts and  (b) the European Commission on protection of the privacy of UK internet users.

David Hanson: holding answer 12 January 2010
	My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has had no recent discussions with his European counterparts or the European Commission on the protection of the privacy of UK internet users. However the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) have recently been engaged in discussion on revisions to the e-privacy directive 2002/58/EC as part of the wider Telecommunication Framework discussion, as this falls in their remit.

Olympic Games: Canada

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from his Department are planning to attend the winter Olympics in Vancouver in February 2010; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such attendance.

Phil Woolas: Since 1999 the Government have published on an annual basis a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. From 2007-08 the list was extended to include all Ministers. The list also provides information on the number of officials who accompany Ministers. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2009-10 will be published as soon as the information is available.
	All travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Civil Service Management Code respectively.

Passports

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many contracts relating to biometric passports have been let; to whom each such contract has been let; for what projects or services each such contract provides; and what the monetary value is of each such contract.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 12 January 2010
	The Home Department has let only one contract specifically in relation to the design and production of biometric Passport Books. A 10 year contract valued at £400 million was awarded to De La Rue Ltd. in July 2009. This contract will replace the existing Passport Book production contract with 3M and is currently scheduled to become operational in the autumn of 2010.

Rape: Thames Valley

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Thames Valley Police's rape awareness campaign.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office do not conduct assessments on the effectiveness of campaigns run at a local level by police forces. It is at the discretion of the Thames Valley Police chief constable to assess the effectiveness of their campaign.

Rape: Thames Valley

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the total cost of Thames Valley Police's rape awareness campaign to date.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office do not hold this information.
	Thames Valley Police are responsible for expenditure on their local awareness campaign.

Sexual Offences: Essex

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many referrals to a sexual referral centre were made by  (a) Essex police force and  (b) Essex county council in the latest year for which figures are available.

Alan Campbell: These data are not centrally collated.

Sexual Offences: Victim Support Schemes

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department where each sexual referral centre is located.

Alan Campbell: This information is available on the Home Office Website and can be accessed using the following web link:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime-victims/reducing-crime/sexual-offences/sexual-assault-referral-centres/referral-centre-locations/

Sexual Offences: Victim Support Schemes

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will establish a sexual referral centre in Essex.

Alan Campbell: Last year the Government approved an application for a new sexual assault referral centre to be established in Essex. Start-up funding was provided for financial year 2009-10.

Vetting

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the criminal record checking systems completed by the Criminal Records Bureau were last reviewed in respect of  (a) their efficiency and  (b) their cost to (i) his Department and (ii) the applicant.

Meg Hillier: holding answer 18 January 2010
	The Home Office sets the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) a number of performance targets each year and the efficiency of the process of completing a CRB check is measured within the context of these targets.
	The CRB currently operates to a set of published service standards (PSS) which include to issue 95 per cent. of standard certificates within 10 days and 90 per cent. of enhanced certificates within 28 days.
	The CRB is a self-funding Executive Agency within the Home Office. There is no cost to the Home Office as the CRB's running costs are being met by fees from its customers. Those fees are reviewed each year as part of the budget setting process.

Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006: Prosecutions

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been prosecuted under section  (a) 28(1) and  (b) 29(2) of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006.

Alan Campbell: The Criminal Statistics, England and Wales 2007 (latest available, presented on calendar year basis) indicate there were no prosecutions.
	You can view this information on the Ministry of Justice Website using the following web link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/criminalannual.htm
	The Criminal Statistics, England and Wales 2008 are planned for publication on 28 January 2010.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Surveys

Grant Shapps: To ask the Leader of the House if she will place in the Library a copy of the results from her Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the total cost of the survey was.

Barbara Keeley: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons joined the Cabinet Office in 2007.
	The Cabinet Office will publish the October 2009 people survey results on their website in February 2010. Following publication they will place a copy of the results in the Library.
	The supplier of the Cabinet Office October 2009 people survey was ORC International who were procured by the Department to deliver the first cross-civil service people survey. The people survey replaced all existing staff surveys in the civil service with a single questionnaire.
	The cost of the Cabinet Office survey will be £30,550.
	By procuring a single supplier for people surveys in 2009-10 the civil service has saved 35 per cent. on the total cost of staff surveys in 2008-09.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

West Bank

Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on restrictions on movement of Palestinians in the west bank; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The UK welcomes Israel's recent easing of restrictions on movement in the west bank and urges Israel to continue to remove barriers. We also look forward to the implementation of the ruling by the Israeli High Court, on 29 December 2009, which allowed for Palestinians to be able to access Route 443.

Iranian Nuclear Programme

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his overseas counterparts on the Iranian nuclear programme.

Ivan Lewis: Addressing Iran's nuclear programme is our top foreign policy concern. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has discussed this with each of his E3+3 colleagues since the beginning of December, as well as with EU and other Foreign Ministers.
	Iran must restore the international community's confidence in its nuclear programme. We will continue to pursue the dual track approach of engagement and pressure.

Turkey

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the political situation in Turkey; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The political situation in Turkey is stable-the Justice and Development Party have been in power since 2002.
	We support the Turkish Government's 'democratic opening', including reforming Kurdish rights.
	Following a constitutional court ruling on the closure of the DTP (pro-Kurdish party) in December, we supported an EU statement expressing concern.

Piracy

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had on policy to combat piracy round the horn of Africa and off the coast of Somalia.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary chairs cross-Government work on UK strategy and has held regular discussions with EU counterparts. The UK is leading the EU counter-piracy naval operation. We are instrumental in improving wider international naval co-ordination mechanisms, and we are engaging with the shipping industry to improve self-protection measures. We are also working with partners to tackle the root causes of piracy including improving the rule of law, a sustainable economy and alternative livelihoods.

Middle East Peace Envoy

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received from the Quartet's middle east peace envoy on the envoy's activities.

Ivan Lewis: The Office of the Quartet Representative reports regularly to Quartet members and donors. The most recent report we received was on 13 January 2010, confirming they had secured an extension of the Tarkumiya commercial goods crossing opening hours.

Pakistan-Afghanistan Border

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on the security situation along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Pakistan on 9-10 January 2010 to talk about the London Conference on Afghanistan and wider issues. He made clear that we recognise Pakistan's sacrifices in its ongoing campaign against militancy in the border region and support efforts to tackle extremism in all its forms. Long-term security in the border region requires regional co-operation and a comprehensive approach to stabilisation that also addresses development and governance needs. We encourage Pakistan to develop such plans for the border regions.

Iraq: Elections

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had on arrangements for the forthcoming elections in Iraq.

Ivan Lewis: Iraq's Independent Higher Electoral Commission (IHEC) will run the 7 March 2010 National Election. IHEC have successfully organised a number of elections now, including last January's provincial elections. We remain in regular contact with IHEC through our Baghdad embassy. The national election will be another significant step in Iraq's democratic journey.

Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to encourage negotiations to resolve the conflict in Yemen.

Ivan Lewis: The root causes of conflict in Yemen are a lack of governance and delivery of services by the state. The UK strategy is to tackle these causes, in co-operation with the international community. The meeting in London on 27 January 2010 is part of that wider strategy, and will seek to help the international community co-ordinate its response to these issues and support for the efforts of the government of Yemen.

Yemen

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Yemen.

Ivan Lewis: Yemen continues to face economic crisis and state failure. Any worsening of the instability, terrorist activity and poverty present in Yemen will have a detrimental effect on security-within Yemen and in the region. The meeting in London on 27 January 2010 is part of our wider strategy towards Yemen, which aims to work with the international community to support the efforts of the Yemeni Government to address the fundamental problems it is facing.

Military Attachés

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many military attachés are assigned to the British embassies in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Chris Bryant: The UK has defence attachés in Sweden and Estonia. The attaché in Sweden also serves as non-resident attaché to Finland, while that in Estonia is non-resident attaché to Latvia and Lithuania.
	Decisions regarding the deployment of defence attachés are the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence.

Pakistan

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Pakistan; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Pakistan on 9-10 January 2010 and spoke to President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani, Foreign Minister Qureshi and Interior Minister Malik. He was encouraged to see that key parties are working together around a common agenda to consolidate the political progress made. We hope that this co-operation continues. The UK supports Pakistan's democratic institutions and will continue to pursue our interests with the government of the day.

EU Accession: Turkey

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had on Turkey's accession to the EU as part of the next phase of EU enlargement.

Chris Bryant: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary assessed progress in Turkey's accession negotiations in the enlargement discussions at the EU General Affairs Council in December 2009.
	At the Foreign Secretary's talks with the Turkish Foreign Minister last week he reiterated the UK's support for Turkey's EU membership and encouraged Turkey to continue making the necessary reforms.

Ascension Island

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made in discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence on the future financial arrangements for Ascension Island.

Chris Bryant: As Minister with responsibility for the Overseas Territories, I met with the Minister for the Armed Forces on 2 December 2009 to discuss Ascension Island as he indicated in response to the hon. Member's question on this issue on 1 December 2009.
	Discussions are continuing between the Ministers, officials and the Ascension Island government. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has funded a revenue specialist to review tax arrangements on the island. That review has been completed and the draft report will shortly be considered by the Ascension Island Council and government. The review will contribute to the reform process already in hand to put the finances of Ascension Island government on a sustainable footing.

Colombia: Overseas Trade

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his  (a) Canadian and  (b) Norwegian counterpart on the negotiation of a free trade agreement between the EU and Colombia.

Chris Bryant: I discussed the EU-Colombia Free Trade Agreement during a meeting with the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs in December 2009. I confirmed that the UK believes that such agreements can help to create the right circumstances for improved prosperity and stability, where human rights stand a better chance of flourishing. I have had no recent meetings with my Norwegian counterpart.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the security situation in Equateur province of Western Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Congolese Army (FARDC) have carried out operations in Equateur province against insurgents based in the south near Dongo. The UN peacekeeping mission (MONUC) has supplied logistical support to the FARDC in this. MONUC assistance has been conditional. The insurgents are still active and have carried out attacks against FARDC in early January 2010. Our assessment is that despite recent successes of the FARDC in reclaiming villages from the insurgents this situation is not over yet. The area is unsafe and we continue to monitor the situation closely.
	Difficult terrain and security concerns have prevented the humanitarian agencies getting access, although some are starting to deploy now, such as the World Food Programme. The UN humanitarian pooled fund is available to agencies which begin work there, last year DFID contributed £35 million to the pooled fund.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many countries are involved in the training of the Congolese army; how many official languages are used in such training; what assessment he has made of the effect of the number of languages on the effectiveness of the training provided by the UN peacekeeping force in that country (MONUC); and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Ten countries, including the UK, US and China-and the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUC)-are involved in training the Congolese army. Several countries from MONUC assist with training the more notable ones being Pakistan and India. MONUC are also just about to use Tanzanian troops which will train 12 Congolese Army (FARDC) Infantry battalions in the next year. This is part-funded by the UK who provided £400,000 for Barrack Infrastructure Repairs for the training camps.
	We estimate that seven official languages are used in training. We recognise that language differences can hinder co-ordination; to respond to this the UK runs a 'peacekeeping English' course to ensure that the FARDC and MONUC can communicate effectively when working together. So far the UK has trained over 1,000 trainers, who can then go on to disseminate English teaching throughout the FARDC. We have also trained over 40 interpreters.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals the Government have put forward for the reconfiguration of the UN peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) following the expiry of its mandate in May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Government have not put forward any new proposals for the reconfiguration of the UN peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC). Security Council Resolution 1906 was agreed on 23 December 2009 and requests the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative to produce an Integrated Strategic Framework, covering the roles of the wider UN in the country, by 16 February 2010; and the Secretary-General to carry out a strategic review of MONUC by 1 April 2010.
	The outcomes of these reports and progress on Protection of Civilians, Disarmament Demobilisation Reintegration Resettlement or Repatriation Security Sector Reform and developments in the security situation will provide the basis for discussion of any reconfiguring of MONUC with Security Council partners.

Departmental Advertising

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what advertising campaigns his Department has been responsible in each of the last three years; which such campaigns  (a) commenced and  (b) continued in 2009-10; and what the cost of each such campaign has been.

Chris Bryant: All spending on advertising is in support of our departmental strategic objectives. So far in 2009-10 we have spent the following on advertising campaigns:
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) recruitment advertising: £85,057 on seven new recruitment campaigns.
	FCO Services recruitment advertising: £91,094.
	The Know Before You Go, Travel Safety Campaign advertising: £207,711. (This figure includes TV and Radio filler production and promotions.).
	In previous years we have spent the following on advertising for the Know Before You Go campaign:
	2008-09: £473,069
	2007-08: £212,178.
	All Know Before You Go activity is funded by the Consular Premium, which is levied on all passport applications, and by fees we charge for other documentary services.
	Authority to advertise for local jobs overseas is devolved to directorates and posts. Information on this spending is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	For other figures relating to previous years I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my noble Friend Baroness Kinnock to the noble Lord Newby on 11 November 2009,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column WA168.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many iPods have been bought by his Department since 2005; and at what cost.

Chris Bryant: This information is not held centrally and is only available at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Consultation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) citizens' juries and  (b) summits have been hosted by his Department since June 2007; on what date each event took place; and which Ministers were present at each event.

Chris Bryant: None.

EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any parts of the contents of the speech by Baroness Ashton in her capacity as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, delivered to the European Parliament on 15 December 2009, do not represent the policy of the Government.

Chris Bryant: Baroness Ashton's speech set out existing EU policies and offered her personal view on the way ahead in some areas. All Common Foreign and Security Policies are agreed by the UK, including the Conclusions of 8 December 2009 by the Foreign Affairs Council to which Baroness Ashton refers.

European Economic and Social Committee

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria the Government use to select candidates for nomination to serve on Section III of the European Economic and Social Committee.

Chris Bryant: Within Section III, potential UK candidates should be able to demonstrate detailed, up-to-date knowledge and experience in one or more of a number of areas, including, but not limited to, services sectors, small business, research, agriculture, consumer interests, environmental interests, youth experience or sustainable development. This list is not exhaustive. All candidates should be able to contribute effectively to the Committee in promoting UK interests in their chosen field.
	Where possible, the UK delegation as a whole should reflect levels of national diversity. This includes race, religion and belief, gender, sexual orientation, age and disability. It is also desirable that members come from all parts of the UK (although European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) members do not represent regions) and be representative of a wide range of interests and experience.
	Every candidate should have enough time available to prepare for and attend EESC meetings. Delegates are expected to spend at least 60 days a year in Brussels on Committee business, in addition to time spent conducting research and travelling.

Maritime Protection Zone

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what organisations his Department has consulted on the proposed Maritime Protection Zone for the Chagos Archipelago.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has discussed the possibility of establishing a marine protected area (MPA) in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) with a wide range of stakeholders. These include the Governments of the United States and Mauritius, other concerned Government Departments, the National Oceanography Centre, the British Geological Survey, non-governmental organisations and other organisations involved in the Chagos Environment Network (including the Chagos Conservation Trust and the Pew Environment Group) and a range of individual scientists and environmentalists. The FCO has consulted those involved in the establishment of other large scale MPAs, in particular the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument and the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.
	In order to consult as widely as possible the FCO launched a public consultation on the establishment of an MPA in BIOT on 10 November 2009. The consultation has been brought to the attention of the public in Mauritius and the Seychelles through our high commissions there and the consultation facilitator will be travelling out to Port Louis and Victoria later this month to listen to the views of the Chagossian communities and other stakeholders in Mauritius and the Seychelles. The FCO has also taken steps to draw this consultation to the attention of members of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission.
	The purpose of the consultation is to seek views more widely from all stakeholders and interested parties to help the Government assess the right option for the future environmental protection of the Territory. The consultation period runs to 12 February 2010.

South Africa

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a Minister of his Department last visited South Africa; and what the purpose of the visit was.

Chris Bryant: My noble Friend Baroness Kinnock, Minister of State for Africa, visited South Africa from 2 to 4 November 2009. The purpose of the visit was to engage with the South African Government and civil society interlocutors on a wide range of shared UK and South African regional and international priorities.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Politics and Government

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects on  (a) the economy,  (b) the health service and  (c) tourism provision in the Turks and Caicos Islands since the suspension of the constitution and institution of direct government by the Governor.

Chris Bryant: In his latest quarterly statement
	www.turksandcaicosislands.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/nov-statement
	the Governor outlined steps that have been taken to improve the economic situation through the restoration of sound financial management. This included a review of Turks and Caicos Islands government financial management practices; completion of the 2009-10 budget; steps to bring expenditure and revenue in line, including the introduction of strict expenditure controls and enforcing the payment of dues and taxes. Discussions have been held with banks to secure a consolidated loan facility to reduce the burden of unpaid bills and short term debt built up by the previous government. This will create a more predictable development for private sector investment.
	Enrolment for a new National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP) began on 1 October 2009-this will help pay for two new hospitals on the islands of Providenciales and Grand Turk, both due to open on 10 April 2010. Work has been undertaken to ensure that the requirements and responsibilities for both NHIP and the hospital projects are clearly understood by officials, and are also explained to the public.
	Following the establishment of a Working Group on the promotion of tourism, its initial report and recommendations were considered by the Advisory Council on 14 December 2009.

Written Questions: Government Responses

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to answer question 307049, on officials serving at overseas posts, tabled on 9 December 2009.

David Miliband: The question was answered on 13 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 975-76W.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contact there has been between the Minister of State for Africa and members of the unity Government of Zimbabwe since October 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Minister of State for Africa, Baroness Kinnock, welcomed Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, Minister of Regional Integration and International Cooperation, to London on 20 October 2009. Among more general issues, they discussed the Movement for Democratic Change's then recent disengagement from executive engagement with ZANU-PF and Zimbabwe's dialogue with the EU. The Minister has not had the opportunity to have direct contact with other members of the Inclusive Government. The nature of our future engagement with the Inclusive Government is very much dependent on its progress against the Global Political Agreement. The Minister regularly raises Zimbabwe with our international partners, urging the Southern African Development Community states to remain engaged on Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress by the unity Government of Zimbabwe in re-drafting that country's constitution since the signing of the Global Political Agreement in September 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: With our international partners we believe that the constitution making process called for in the Global Political Agreement is key to Zimbabwe's recovery. Much of the current imbalance of power is enshrined in the constitution and the constitution making process is an important step towards the next elections. Although the process has slipped from the timetable stipulated by the Global Political Agreement, a parliamentary committee on constitutional reform has been established and training for committee members began on 11 January 2010, in preparation for the period of public consultation.
	The UK is working closely with other donors to support civil society organisations to ensure all communities are aware of the constitutional reform process and properly equipped to feed into it.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's policy is on proposals for the future EU sanctions regime against Zimbabwe; and when he next expects the EU to review its sanctions programme in respect of that country.

Ivan Lewis: The EU is reviewing its measures against those individuals and entities connected to human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. The measures do not harm ordinary Zimbabweans or impede the country's economic development. The EU review will assess the future of the measures in the light of progress in reform by the Government of Zimbabwe. We expect the EU decision to be made in February 2010.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Aerials: Planning Permission

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) planning applications and  (b) planning appeals have been made in respect of telecommunications masts in the last five years.

Ian Austin: The Department does not hold information on the number of planning applications in respect of telecommunications masts.
	The number of planning appeals relating to telecommunications development received for the period 1 October 2004 to 30 September 2009 is 2,565. This figure includes telecommunications masts and other types of telecommunications development.

Affordable Housing: Construction

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many social homes were  (a) built and  (b) acquired in rural areas in each year since 1990.

Ian Austin: The following table shows the number of homes built and acquired for social rent in rural areas in England each year since 1991-92. Figures are not available for 1990-91.
	In 1997 there was a significant backlog of social housing repairs, more than 2 million homes failing basic decency standards and too many of society's most vulnerable people on the streets or in bed and breakfast accommodation. Therefore, funds were prioritised into tackling the quality of the existing social housing stock which while resulting in a decrease in new affordable homes being built led to significant inroads on delivering decent homes and tackling rough sleeping. In more recent years, increased funding has led to an increase in affordable housing.
	
		
			  New social rented homes built and acquired in rural Areas( 1) 
			   Number of social homes built  Number of social homes acquired 
			 1991-92 7,320 420 
			 1992-93 13,090 4,070 
			 1993-94 13,170 1,640 
			 1994-95 12,640 2,610 
			 1995-96 13,940 3,120 
			 1996-97 10,080 3,450 
			 1997-98 8,750 3,350 
			 1998-99 8,050 3,550 
			 1999-2000 7,100 3,130 
			 2000-01 6,490 3,000 
			 2001-02 6,520 2,510 
			 2002-03 6,090 2,100 
			 2003-04 6,700 1,340 
			 2004-05 6,770 910 
			 2005-06 7,010 750 
			 2006-07 7,620 580 
			 2007-08 9,340 740 
			 2008-09 10,840 450 
			 (1) Based on DEFRA classification of local authorities.  Source:  Homes and Communities Agency Investment Management System (IMS), and local authority returns to CLG. Figures have been rounded to nearest 10 units. 
		
	
	Total affordable housing supply includes intermediate rent and Low Cost Home Ownership, as well as homes for Social Rent. In 2007-08, a total of 16,610 affordable homes were completed in rural local authorities through new build and acquisitions. Total affordable housing supply statistics for 2008-09 were released by CLG on 8 December 2009.
	These figures reflect the delivery of affordable housing in the 178 local authorities defined as rural by the DEFRA Rural Definition (2004).

Affordable Housing: Nottingham

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent on improving social housing in Nottingham North constituency since 1997.

Ian Austin: Unfortunately, it is not possible to disaggregate expenditure on social housing within Nottingham by parliamentary constituency. Total expenditure on stock owned by Nottingham city council across the city for each year since 1997-98 is given in the following table:
	
		
			   Expenditure (£ 000 ) 
			 1997-98 20,858 
			 1998-99 15,506 
			 1999-2000 10,065 
			 2000-01 16,240 
			 2001-02 21,099 
			 2002-03 29,531 
			 2003-04 26,102 
			 2004-05 36,227 
			 2005-06 33,638 
			 2006-07 40,515 
			 2007-08 39,827 
			 2008-09 30,379 
			 2009-10 (planned expenditure) 56,702 
			 Total 376,689 
		
	
	The Government have no data available identifying expenditure by registered social landlords on improvements to properties they own within Nottingham North or the city as a whole.
	There has also been significant investment to deliver new social housing in Nottingham through the National Affordable Housing Programme. Since 2004 Nottingham has received £ 13.3 million to deliver new homes for rent or low cost home ownership including £7 million so far through the current 2008-11 programme.
	The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has also funded Nottingham city council to develop a Local Housing Company to deliver an extra 5,000 new homes over the next five years and in 2009, Nottingham city council was successful in a £200 million PFI bid to the HCA to transform the meadows neighbourhood. Both initiatives will provide a mix of social and private affordable housing.

Airfields: St. Albans

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received from Helioslough regarding the former aerodrome site in St. Albans following the conclusion of the inquiry.

Ian Austin: There have been no representations received from Helioslough since the close of the inquiry.

Bankruptcy: Coastal Areas

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment his Department has made of rates of bankruptcies in coastal towns; and what steps he is taking to reduce those rates.

Ian Lucas: I have been asked to reply
	As there are no official boundary definitions for coastal towns, there are no official statistics available at this level. However, statistics for unitary authorities can be found on the Insolvency Service website at the following link:
	http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/otherinformation/statistics/regionalstatisticsmenu.htm
	There has been no assessment carried out by Government specifically relating to bankruptcy rates in coastal towns.
	The Government recognise that seaside towns have a distinctive role to play in sub-regional and regional economies. It supports efforts by the regional development agencies (RDAs), to ensure that seaside towns in their regions are helped to achieve their full economic potential.
	Initiatives such as the New Deal for Communities, Working Neighbourhoods Fund, Local Enterprise Growth Initiative, and the Sea Change programme have benefited some seaside towns.
	Local area agreements (LAAs) are helping local authorities, including those with seaside towns, to work alongside partners to improve public services and the quality of life for people living and working in their areas. Multi area agreements (MAAs) are enabling some seaside towns, such as the Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole partnerships, to develop stronger approaches to improving skills level, transport and sustainable growth.
	The cross-Government working group on coastal towns, led by CLG, in partnership with the RDA Coastal Areas Network, is identifying areas where more can be done and to highlight existing best practice in coastal town regeneration.

Council Tax

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much net revenue has been raised in council tax in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms based on 2010 prices in each year since 1997-98.

Barbara Follett: The net revenue collected through council tax in both cash and real terms (£ million) in each year since 1997-98 are given in the following table.
	The data are taken from the quarterly return of council tax and non-domestic rates returns completed annually by all billing authorities in England and the real terms data are given at 2008-09 prices.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Cash  Real terms 
			 1997-98 9,488 12,990 
			 1998-99 10,459 13,766 
			 1999-2000 11,318 14,661 
			 2000-01 12,242 15,401 
			 2001-02 13,208 16,328 
			 2002-03 14,511 17,674 
			 2003-04 16,392 19,360 
			 2004-05(1) 17,372 20,019 
			 2005-06 18,419 20,572 
			 2006-07 19,315 21,036 
			 2007-08 20,374 21,227 
			 2008-09 21,319 21,319 
			 (1) Data for two authorities not received in 2004-05

Council Tax: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of properties which have been revalued for council tax purposes in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) Chelmsford local authority area in each of the last three years; and how many such revaluations resulted in a change of council tax banding.

Barbara Follett: No properties have been revalued for council tax purposes as no council tax revaluation is taking place. For the number of changes to bandings in the 1993 Lists for each local authority in England, I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 15 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1039W, and 7 July 2009,  Official Report, column 701W. Changes to bandings for the West Chelmsford constituency area could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Council Tax: Non-payment

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable has been set for the transfer of arrangements for council tax enforcement from magistrates courts to county courts; whether any consultation on the transfer will take place; and whether primary legislation will be necessary to enable the transfer to take place.

Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 2 November 2009,  Official Report, column 758W. No decision has been taken yet about whether to extend the council tax enforcement regime in this way.

Council Tax: Valuation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment  (a) his Department and  (b) the Valuation Office Agency have made of the merits to holding a council tax revaluation in England in the next Parliament.

Barbara Follett: No consideration has been given to holding a council tax revaluation in England in the next Parliament.

Council Tax: Valuation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answers to the hon. Member for Meriden of 7 July 2009,  Official Report, column 701W, and of 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 613W, on council tax: valuation, what potential numbers were established by Mr. Tim Eden after contact with group valuation officers.

Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to answers provided to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 2 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 924-25W. No detailed analysis was undertaken nor were any potential numbers estimated or calculated.

Departmental Billing

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in December 2009.

Barbara Follett: In December 2009 Communities and Local Government paid 92.91 per cent. of invoices within 10 days.

Departmental Buildings

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) area and  (b) estimated value is of (i) vacant and (ii) occupied office space (A) owned and (B) rented by his Department.

Barbara Follett: The total area of occupied office space rented by the Department for Communities and Local Government is 25,798 sq m (net internal area), with a passing rent of £14,759,735 per annum exclusive of rates.
	The total area of vacant office space rented by the Department is 894 sq m (net internal area). The passing rent for this office space is £124,643 per annum exclusive of rates.
	The Department does not own any freehold office space.

Departmental Contracts

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much his Department paid to each of its suppliers of goods and services in 2007-08.
	(2)  to what suppliers of goods and services his Department paid over £50,000 in 2007-08.

Barbara Follett: The information requested has been deposited in the Library of the House.

Departmental Domestic Visits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planned visits by Ministers in his Department within the UK were cancelled within 72 hours of the visit taking place in the last 12 months; and what the planned venue or venues were for each such visit.

Barbara Follett: Communities and Local Government do not record this information.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many iPods have been bought by his Department since 2005; and at what cost.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Food

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the quantity of food waste generated by his Department in each year for which figures are available.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Communities and Local Government generated the following quantity of food waste during the last three years:
	
		
			  CLG central  Food waste (tonnes) 
			 2006-07(1) 21.6 
			 2007-08 19.1 
			 2008-09 39.3 
			 (1) No data are held prior to 2006-07, i.e. before the composting initiative was implemented. 
		
	
	Since 2006, the Department has sent all of its separated food waste to a composting facility rather than to landfill.

Departmental Internet

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which websites his Department's staff are prevented from accessing on departmental networked computers.

Barbara Follett: Communities and Local Government (CLG) maintain information security management policies setting out how we comply with the mandatory minimum security requirements set out in the HMG Security Policy Framework (SPF), particularly Security Policy No. 4: Information Security and Assurance. This policy dictates the type of websites that users may not access, and users sign off and agree to follow security operating procedures to that end. These policies are regularly reviewed and updated and include staff training and awareness programmes.
	CLG's information security and risk management policies are in line with the SPF, particularly Mandatory Requirement 39. MR 39 requires Departments to comply with the requirements of any codes of connection, including technical and procedural policies to manage the risks posed by all forms of malicious software (including viruses, spyware and phishing etc). This includes patching policies, boundary security devices and content checking/blocking policies. More information is available at:
	www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/spf/sp4_isa.aspx
	The list of blocked sites runs into thousands and is compiled and managed by contracted third parties on our behalf. It is updated daily. A precise list of blocked sites would be extensive and changes regularly.
	Also, such information being made public could assist adversaries in identifying vulnerabilities and circumventing information security controls, thereby exposing CLG to greater risk from attacks.

Departmental Manpower

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 5 November 2009,  Official Report, column 1121W, on departmental recruitment, how many of the 87 policy advisers are on fixed term contracts; and what the  (a) job title and  (b) division of each adviser is.

Barbara Follett: An error has been identified in the answer given to question 292982 on 5 November 2009,  Official Report, column 1121W. The number of posts with policy adviser included in the job title in the Department for Communities and Local Government on 21 December 2009 is 242. This revised number is based on a wider search under the two possible spellings of adviser/advisor, used interchangeably by staff when entering job details on our staff data system. It does not represent an increase in the number of staff in this type of role.
	Of these staff, three are on fixed-term contracts. The job title and division of each post is as follows:
	1. Policy Adviser: Strategy, Performance and Delivery Directorate
	2. Senior Policy Adviser: Cohesion and Faiths Division
	3. Policy Advisor: Housing Supply Division.

Departmental Research

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research projects commissioned by his Department have not yet reported.

Barbara Follett: Details of research projects commissioned by Communities and Local Government and its predecessors are available from our Research Database (RD) at:
	http://www.rmd.communities.gov.uk/
	The database provides information on projects commissioned by Communities and Local Government and predecessor departments going back to 30 November 2001. This includes details of projects that have not yet reported.

Departmental Surveys

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the results from his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the total cost of the survey was.

Barbara Follett: We are still awaiting the full results of the October 2009 CLG staff survey and expect to place these on the CLG website during February 2010. Following publication, we will also place a copy of the results in the Library.
	The supplier for the survey was ORC International which was procured by the Cabinet Office to deliver the first cross-Civil Service people survey. The people survey replaced all existing staff surveys in the civil service with a single questionnaire.
	This Department is meeting the costs of the survey for all participating CLG Group organisations including the main Department, the Government offices, the Planning Inspectorate, Ordnance Survey and the Fire Service College. To date, the cost of the survey for the CLG Group is £72,000 plus VAT. By procuring a single supplier for staff surveys in 2009-10, the Civil Service has saved 35 per cent. on the total cost of staff surveys in 2008-09.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Chichester of 26 October 2009,  Official Report, column 140W, on departmental recruitment, how many specialist staff in his Department are on time-limited contracts; what the job title is of each such specialist; and in what division of his Department each works.

Barbara Follett: As at 14 December 2009, there were nine specialist staff on time-limited contracts. The Department defines 'specialist' as a role which requires a qualification in a specific field (or work towards a specific qualification) or a highly specialised skill set to undertake the work.
	The job titles as recorded by staff on our database and divisions of these posts are as follows:
	
		
			  Job title  Division 
			 Knowledge Management Policy and Library Services team member Knowledge Management 
			 Member of Legal Directorate Regeneration 
			 Web Designer Planning System Improvement 
			 Legal Trainee Employment, Commercial and Specialist Drafting 
			 Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser's Office 
			 Legal Trainee Local Government 
			 Assistant Scientific Officer Research and Statistics Division 
			 Research Manager Planning System Improvement 
			 High Potential Leadership Programme team member Fire and Rescue Service Development

Export Credits Guarantee Dept

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reason his Department paid £309,699 to the Export Credits Guarantee Department in 2008-09.

Barbara Follett: This payment relates to the Thames Gateway delivery team's lease at Exchange Tower, Harbour Exchange Square, London E14.

Green Belt

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to protect the green belt in  (a) England and  (b) Coventry;
	(2)  what his Department's policy is for the future of the green belt.

Ian Austin: The Government have a continuing commitment to the protection of green belt and its crucial characteristics of openness and permanence. Among the policies set out in PPG2 (Planning Policy Guidance Note 2, Green Belts) to guide decision-makers is a presumption against allowing inappropriate development on green belt land.
	Only in exceptional circumstances may green belt boundaries be altered. Any proposal for significant change in green belt area has to be made during the preparation of regional strategy. Any essential adjustment of the boundary of a green belt is for the local planning authority to propose as part of the local plan process. The Secretary of State monitors emerging regional strategies and local plans to ensure they are consistent with national policy. Government offices make representations to the independent examinations of draft Regional Spatial Strategies and Local Development Frameworks if the approach proposed is not consistent with PPG2. There are no plans to change the policy set out in PPG2.
	With regard to Coventry, the draft regional spatial strategy has been examined, including the need and justification for green belt adjustments around Coventry. The panel supported the case made in the draft RSS for green belt adjustments. The Secretary of State is currently preparing his proposed changes to the RSS which will be consulted on in due course.
	The Coventry core strategy is currently at examination. The inspector appointed to examine the plan held hearing sessions on green belt matters, and considered evidence to justify the need, or otherwise to release land from the green belt. The hearing sessions ended on 4 December and the inspector's report into the soundness of the document is expected in April 2010.

Green Belt

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications for development on green belt land his Department has received in each of the last five years.

Ian Austin: Applications for development, including within the green belt, are made to local planning authorities and not to the Secretary of State. Although the Department does collect aggregate statistics on the numbers of applications, these do not include details of the location of the application, such as within the green belt.

Homelessness

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many people have been accommodated by local authorities under severe weather emergency procedures in the last 31 days;
	(2)  which local authorities provide accommodation for rough sleepers under severe weather emergency procedures.

Ian Austin: The Department asks all local authorities to have plans in place to ensure that there is cold weather provision for any rough sleepers, so they can be brought in from the street. Severe weather emergency procedures are a matter for individual local authorities and CLG does not keep records.
	Officials have been working closely with councils and homelessness charities to provide advice given the extreme conditions. We are making available an additional £75,000 to local authorities.
	In addition, in London, CLG fund a cold weather shelter for up to 100 rough sleepers run by St. Mungo's. We have also provided additional resources to Thames Reach's Street Rescue Service which provides a rapid response service to get people off the street.

Housing: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many first-time buyers purchased a home in the London borough of Bexley in the last three years.

Ian Austin: Communities and Local Government do not hold the information requested.
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders does publish data on number of first time buyers buying a home with a mortgage for the UK but not geographies below regional level. The UK data can be found at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/statistics

Housing: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many mortgages were approved in respect of purchases in the London borough of Bexley in each of the last three years.

Ian Austin: Data on numbers of mortgage approvals for house purchase are published by the Bank of England. However data are only available for the UK as a whole. The UK data can be found at:
	http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/statistics/statistics.htm

Housing: Ex-servicemen

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities require applicants for independent living adaptations and equipment to disclose former service as armed forces personnel.

Ian Austin: Since December 2008 the disabled facilities grant has disregarded both War Pensions Scheme for disablement of 80 per cent. or higher and a constant attendance allowance and capital lump sums through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and guaranteed income payment (tariff level 1-6). This means that they are now not taken into account in the disabled facilities grant means test. All local authorities require applicants to confirm whether they are in receipt of these as Communities and Local Government reimburse local authorities on an actual basis when a grant has been paid to qualifying former service personnel. This is in addition to a disregard for all those in receipt of war disablement pensions or pensions payable to war widows or widowers.

Illegal Immigrants

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many persons later discovered to be illegal immigrants his Department has employed in each of the last three years.

Barbara Follett: I can confirm that the Department for Communities and Local Government has no record of having employed any illegal immigrants within the last three years.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make it his policy to require local authorities to publish online details of all expenditure on goods and services costing over £500.

Barbara Follett: In relation to procurement, local authorities are independent bodies operating within the statutory framework and, where there is no existing requirement to publish such information, it would be for individual authorities to decide whether or not they wished to make available online information about goods and services they have purchased costing over £500.
	In December 2009, the Government set up the Local Public Data Panel chaired by Professor Nigel Shadbolt, to promote and champion the public data agenda among local government, encouraging them to publish available data in an accessible form.

Local Government Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what rate of local government  (a) cost and  (b) wage inflation his Department has assumed for the purposes of calculating grants under the local government finance settlement for 2010-11.

Barbara Follett: No assumption on the rate of local government cost and pay inflation is made in determining the local government finance settlement. Cost and wage pressures are considered carefully as part of Spending Reviews. Differences in labour and rates costs between areas are reflected in the Area Cost Adjustment.
	Over the three years of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review settlement period, Government are providing an additional £8.6 billion to local authorities. This is an average 4 per cent. cash increase per year in funding.

Local Government: Bank Services

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his most recent assessment is of progress made by local authorities in obtaining the return of 100 per cent. of their deposits from the Icelandic Winding Up Board of Glitnir Bank; how much each local authority held in deposits with Glitnir Bank; and what steps are being taken to ensure recognition of UK local authority deposits as a priority claim.

Barbara Follett: Local authorities are directly represented on the Resolution Committee, which is responsible for the administration of Glitnir bank, including consideration of the issue of depositor preference. The following table gives total investments in Glitnir bank by each local authority in England as at 31 December 2008.
	This information was published as part of a CLG statistical release and can be found at the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/icelandicbanks31122008rev

Local Government: Cost Effectiveness

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his latest estimate is of the monetary value of efficiency savings local authorities are expected to make in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2011-12; and what proportion of such savings are required to be (i) cashable and (ii) non-cashable.

Barbara Follett: Local Government has a target to achieve at least 3 per cent. efficiency savings per year over the first two years of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR07) period (2008-09 and 2009-10) and 4 per cent. savings in 2010-11. Overall, we expect local authorities to achieve £5.5 billion cumulative savings by the end of 2010-11, of which we expect £3.2 billion to be delivered by 2009-10. Local authorities have recently forecast that they will deliver £3.1 billion cumulative savings by the end of 2009-10. There are no expectations with respect to non-cashable efficiencies in the CSR07 period.
	No target has been set for efficiency savings to be delivered in 2011-12. The 2009 pre-Budget report set out the potential for local government to make £800 million savings by 2012-13, of which: £550 million could come from more efficient waste collection and disposal, reducing the burden of inspection, assessment and reporting requirements from across government, and measures to reduce duplication and inefficiency between different tiers of local government; and £250 million from reducing variations in spend on residential care. The pre-Budget report also stated that local government would make a significant contribution towards the £8 billion of operational efficiency programme savings identified for delivery by 2012-13.

Local Government: Equality

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 28 October 2009,  Official Report, column 471W, on local government: equality, how much funding has been provided to local authorities  (a) under the formula grant system and  (b) through specific grants to fund the new burdens imposed by equality and diversity legislation and regulation in the last 12 months.

Barbara Follett: Parliament has not yet passed the Equality Bill. In the event that it becomes law, the Government would provide funding through the formula grant system or through specific grants as appropriate.

Local Government: Manpower

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many full-time equivalent employees were employed by local authorities in each year since 1996-97.

Barbara Follett: The Department does not hold records of the number of people employed by local authorities. The Office for National Statistics collects employment statistics for the public sector including local authorities in England and Wales as part of the Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey. Data from this survey have been published with written permission from all local authorities by the Local Government Association on their website and are available at:
	http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/core/page.do?pageId=1955843

Local Government: Pay

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 228W, on local government: pay, if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance on local authority chief executive salaries issued by the Joint Negotiating Committee.

Barbara Follett: The guidance on local authority chief executives salaries, the Joint Negotiating Committee for Local Authority Chief Executives: 'National Salary Framework and Conditions of Service Handbook, September 2009' is not published by the Department. It is available on the Local Government Employers' website at:
	http://www.lge.gov.uk/lge/dio/2546689

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many residents of  (a) West Chelmsford constituency,  (b) Chelmsford local authority area and  (c) England have received support through the Mortgage Rescue Scheme since its inception.

John Healey: The Mortgage Rescue Scheme has been operational across England since January 2009. As part of the monitoring arrangements for the scheme, headline data for January to September 2009, provided by local authorities operating the scheme and broken down by Government office region, are available on the Department's website. The figures can be assessed using the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/mortgagerescuestatistics
	Figures reported by local authorities from January to September 2009 are provided in a table, which has been placed in the Library. Data are not collected at constituency level.
	In the current economic conditions, we have acted rapidly to put in place help and support for households struggling with their mortgage at every stage: from free debt advice when problems start, to free support for cases that reach court. Advice is available to all households struggling with their mortgage, with targeted schemes for those in most need.
	Data for the October to December period will be published on 11 February 2010.

Negative Equity

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of households in negative equity.

Ian Austin: The Department does not make estimates of the number of households in negative equity.

Non-Domestic Rates

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much net revenue has been raised in business rates in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms based on 2010 prices in each year since 1997-98.

Barbara Follett: The net revenue collected through national non-domestic rates in both cash and real terms (£ million) in each year since 1997-98 are given in the following table.
	The data are taken from the quarterly return of council tax and non-domestic rates returns completed annually by all billing authorities in England and the real terms data are given at 2008-09 prices.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Cash  Real terms 
			 1997-98 11,197 15,330 
			 1998-99 11,393 14,994 
			 1999-2000 11,873 15,380 
			 2000-01 13,083 16,459 
			 2001-02 14,382 17,780 
			 2002-03 14,751 17,966 
			 2003-04 14,611 17,255 
			 2004-05(1) 14,842 17,104 
			 2005-06 15,892 17,750 
			 2006-07 17,004 18,519 
			 2007-08 17,276 18,000 
			 2008-09 18,691 18,691 
			 (1 )Data for two authorities not received in 2004-05

Non-Domestic Rates: Garages and Petrol Stations

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many petrol station outlets will be eligible for rural rate relief from 1 April 2010;
	(2)  how many petrol retail outlets will be eligible for small business rate relief after 1 April 2010.

Barbara Follett: This information is not held centrally.

Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria  (a) his Department and  (b) the Valuation Office Agency use for the allocation of a hereditament to (i) the central rating list and (ii) local rating lists.

Barbara Follett: Valuation officers are responsible for deciding whether a hereditament should be assessed on a local rating list or on the central rating list. The criteria for allocating a hereditament to the central list are contained in the Central Rating List (England) Regulations 2005 SI 2005 No 551. Relevant non-domestic hereditaments which do not fall to be shown on the central rating list are assessed by valuation officers on local rating lists.
	The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and no more by ensuring the share of the national rates bill paid by any one business reflects changes over time in the value of their property relative to others. The 2010 revaluation will not raise a single extra penny for Government.
	Over a million properties will see their business rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation. The Government intend to put in place a £2 billion relief scheme to limit the impact on the minority with bill increases. This is on top of the wider support available to help ease business pressures including discounted rate bills for small businesses and deferring tax payments.

Pedestrian Areas: Snow and Ice

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the contribution of Lord Davies of Oldham of 2 February 2004,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column 444, on footpaths and roads: de-icing, whether his Department has provided guidance to local authorities on the personal liability of householders who seek to clear the pavement or highway of ice or snow.

Barbara Follett: This is a matter for the Department for Transport as it concerns highway issues. As such it would be for the Department for Transport to issue any advice on clearing pavements that run alongside roads.

Planning Permission

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's dataset Live Tables P109, on development control statistics, whether the data for planning applications which are deemed not to have been granted include applications which have been  (a) refused and  (b) undetermined within the 13 week period.

Ian Austin: Table PI09 shows the number of residential planning decisions, split by major and minor, those that have been granted and those that have been decided within eight weeks (for minor) and 13 weeks (for major).
	Residential planning decisions can either be granted or refused. Therefore the number of decisions not granted is equal to the number refused.
	The table includes only those applications that have been decided. Therefore, applications not granted will include those applications that are undetermined within 13 weeks but which are refused subsequent to this timeframe. Note that the applications decided within a period are not necessarily those that are received within that period.

Planning Permission: Halifax

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of planning applications for new housing developments in Halifax have been refused since 2005.

Ian Austin: No information is available on the number of planning applications for new housing development in Halifax.
	The number of planning applications decided for new housing development in Calderdale local authority district, and the number and percentage that were refused in the last five years is listed in the following table:
	
		
			   Residential decisions  Number refused  Percentage refused 
			 2008-09 373 122 33 
			 2007-08 545 182 33 
			 2006-07 592 188 32 
			 2005-06 603 190 32 
			 2004-05 541 157 29

Political Activities

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 22 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1647W, on political impartiality, if he will place in the Library a copy of the pages from his Department's staff handbook relevant to politically-restricted activity.

Barbara Follett: A copy of the pages of the Department's staff handbook relating to guidance on political impartiality have been placed in the Library.

Private Rented Housing

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to bring forward proposals to amend private tenancy law.

Ian Austin: We consulted over the summer on our response to the independent review of the private rented sector carried out by Julie Rugg and David Rhodes of the Centre for Housing Policy at the University of York. This included a number of proposals which would require legislation. We have been considering the consultation responses received and plan to publish the results shortly.

Private Rented Housing: Registration

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Government response to the Rugg Review consultation on the private rented sector, whether the proposed legislation will give Ministers the power to provide for local authorities to take over the management of a landlord's housing stock if a landlord failed to register.

Ian Austin: Our response to the Rugg review, published for consultation over the summer, included proposals to set up a national register of private landlords. We have been considering the consultation responses received and plan to publish the results shortly.

Property Development: Floods

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of  (a) new and  (b) affordable homes were built in areas at risk from flooding in each of the last three years.

Ian Austin: The, estimated number and percentage of all new dwellings built in areas of high flood risk in England in the last three years is given in the following table.
	
		
			   Estimated dwellings built in areas of high flood risk  Percentage of all new dwellings built in areas of high flood risk 
			 2006 14,500 9 
			 2007 15,700 9 
			 2008 12,800 9 
		
	
	Information on the number and proportion of affordable homes built in areas of high flood risk could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Environment Agency has statutory responsibility for flood risk management and flood defence in England. It has an important advisory role in all stages of the plan-making process, being a statutory consultee on the preparation of regional spatial strategies and local development plans. Local planning authorities are required to consult the Agency on all applications for planning permission (except for minor development) in areas with a medium or high probability of flooding, or in areas notified as having critical drainage problems (collectively known as flood risk areas), and for development on land exceeding one hectare outside flood risk areas.
	The Agency also provides advice on the preparation of flood risk assessments at the regional, district/local and development site levels. The Environment Agency can ask for any planning application to which it objects to be called in for decision by the Secretary of State. In addition, the (planning) Consultation Direction requires that planning applications for major developments (e.g., of 10 or more homes, or 1,000 square metres of new floorspace) in flood risk areas where there is an outstanding Environment Agency objection on flood risk grounds, must be referred to the Secretary of State for consideration of whether they should be called in.

Regional Planning and Development

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding his Department and its agencies have allocated to regional design panels since their inception.

Ian Austin: The Department for Communities and Local Government and its agency do not directly allocate funding to regional design panels.

Tony Clements

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 16 July 2009,  Official Report, column 655W, on Tony Clements, which Minister  (a) authorised and  (b) approved the appointment of Mr Clements as a policy adviser in the Strategy and Performance Directorate;
	(2)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Chichester of 3 November 2009,  Official Report, column 8460W, on Tony Clements, under what permitted exception Mr. Clements was appointed as a policy advisor; and whether the Civil Service Commissioners were consulted on that appointment.

Barbara Follett: Civil service appointments are made by officials. Fixed-term appointments of less than two years are a permitted exception to fair and open competition. There is no requirement to consult the Civil Service Commissioners on permitted exceptions.

Tony Clements

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Chichester of 3 November 2009,  Official Report, column 8460W, on Tony Clements, how many other employees have been appointed in the last three years under permitted exceptions for fair and open competition contained in the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Principles; and what the job title was of each such employee.

Barbara Follett: Information on the number of employees appointed in the last three years under permitted exceptions to fair and open competition can be found in the Department's Annual Reports. Between 2007 and 2009, there were 157 appointments under permitted exceptions to fair and open competition. This figure excludes secondments out of the Department and those transferred in as a result of machinery of government changes.
	
		
			  Appointments under permitted exceptions to fair and open competition: 2007, 2008, 2009 
			  Category  Number 
			 Casual appointment extended over 12 months 4 
			 Inward secondments 141 
			 Extension to secondments 2 
			 Re-appointments of former civil servants 10 
		
	
	Information on job titles is not retained centrally in a form that can be disaggregated without incurring disproportionate cost.

Travelling People: Caravan Sites

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations the Planning Inspectorate has received from Green Planning Solutions in relation to planning appeals for Travellers in the last two years.

Ian Austin: Since January 2008, Green Planning Solutions have lodged 75 planning and enforcement appeals in relation to Gypsy and Traveller issues for determination by The Planning Inspectorate. A full list has been deposited in the Library.
	Further representations were made by Green Planning Solutions, which led to Matthew Green meeting with Enforcement Procedural staff on 24 February 2009 to discuss general planning and programming matters as well as changes arising from the Planning Act 2008.

Vauxhall

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Vauxhall constituency, the effects on the constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is not available. The Department evaluates the impact of major programmes and policies. We do not assess the specific impacts on individual areas.
	Details of research projects commissioned by Communities and Local Government and its predecessors are available from our Research Database (RD) at:
	http://www.rmd.communities.gov.uk/
	The database provides information on projects commissioned by Communities and Local Government and predecessor Departments going back to 30 November 2001. This includes details of evaluations.

Winter Fuel Payments: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many pensioners in Milton Keynes are in receipt of winter fuel allowance; and how much his Department paid to such pensioners in winter fuel allowance in 2009.

Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Angela Eagle) on 12 January 2010,  Official Report, column 841W.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices: Essex

Simon Burns: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized businesses in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency,  (b) Chelmsford local authority area and  (c) Essex are employing apprentices.

Kevin Brennan: Record numbers of people are taking up and achieving an apprenticeship. Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship starts in West Chelmsford constituency, Maldon and East Chelmsford constituency, and Essex local authority. Chelmsford local authority district area is made up of West Chelmsford and Maldon and East Chelmsford parliamentary constituencies and part of Rayleigh constituency.
	
		
			  Table 1: Apprenticeship starts 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 West Chelmsford parliamentary constituency 330 320 300 340 380 390 
			 Maldon and East Chelmsford parliamentary constituency 260 270 260 270 380 360 
			 Rayleigh parliamentary constituency 260 300 260 250 300 390 
			 Essex local authority 4,300 4,100 3,900 4,200 5,000 5,200 
			  Notes: 1. Constituency volumes are rounded to the nearest ten local authority figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Parliamentary constituency and local authority are based upon the home postcode of the learner. Where the postcode is outside of England, learners are included in the 'Other' category. Where postcode is not known this is also included in the 'Other' category. 3. Chelmsford local authority district area is made up of West Chelmsford and Maldon and East Chelmsford parliamentary constituencies and part of Rayleigh parliamentary constituency.  Source: WBL/ERILR 
		
	
	Information is not currently available on the size of the employer for apprentices. For the 2009-10 academic year, this information will become available on the ILR when a unique employer identifier will have to be provided by all employers of apprentices.
	We can provide an estimate of the size of employers, nationally, that offer and have recruited apprentices from the National Employer Skills survey (NESS). These data are based on repeated surveys of around 79,000 employers across all business sectors in England. Table 2 shows information from the published 2007 National Employer Skills survey(1) on the number of organisations that had any staff undertaking an apprenticeship in the 12 months prior to interview, by size of employer.
	(1) http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/National/nat-nessurvey2007 mainreport-may08.pdf
	accessed on 14 January 2010.
	
		
			  Table 2: Percentage of employers that have recruited an apprentice in the last 12 months (NESS 2007) 
			   All  e mployers  Number of  e m ployees of e mployer 
			2-4  5-24  25-99  100-199  200-499  500+ 
			 Percentage of employers that have recruited an apprentice over the previous 12 months (NESS 2007) 6 4 8 11 15 19 26

Aviation: Bahrain

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the participation of an RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft in an aerial display at the Bahrain International Airshow.

Ian Lucas: There are no plans for an RAF Typhoon to display at the Bahrain International Airshow owing to extensive demands currently placed on the Typhoon force as it is brought into full service with the RAF. Typhoon was on display in the region at the Dubai Air Show in November 2009.
	UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation are participating in the event with a corporate chalet and an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Pavilion, showcasing Britain's world-leading unmanned systems technology.

Building Regulations

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many competent person schemes his Department manages; and which of these are registered with the UK Accreditation Service.

Ian Austin: I have been asked to reply.
	There are currently 12 competent person scheme operators authorised under the Building Regulations 2000. Some are authorised for more than one type of work.
	United Kingdom Accreditation Service accreditation has not been a requirement for competent person scheme operators but the Department is currently consulting on a proposal to require such accreditation in future.

Companies: Shareholders

William Cash: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what legislative provisions require  (a) the convening of annual meetings by publicly-funded companies requiring the participation of ordinary shareholders and  (b) the establishment of shareholder committees.

Ian Lucas: The requirement for public and traded companies to hold annual general meetings is in Section 336 of the Companies Act 2006. There are no separate provisions in companies legislation governing the convening of annual general meetings in publicly-funded companies. Companies legislation does not require the establishment of shareholder committees; this is a matter for companies and their shareholders to decide.

Companies: Shareholders

William Cash: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the extent of voting rights of shareholders in companies publicly operated in the UK; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which  (a) banks and  (b) stockbrokers have taken up powers in respect of nominee shareholders contained in the Companies Act 2006.

Ian Lucas: Shareholder rights in UK companies were considered as part of the Company Law Review and the implementation of the EU Shareholder Rights Directive. An assessment of the provisions of Part 9 of the Companies Act 2006, which deals with the exercise of shareholders' rights through nominees, will be made as part of the post-implementation evaluation of the Companies Act 2006.

Departmental Billing

John Mason: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in December 2009.

Pat McFadden: In December 2009 the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills paid 95.8 per cent. of invoices within 10 days.

Departmental Buildings

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the  (a) area and  (b) estimated value is of (i) vacant and (ii) occupied office space (A) owned and (B) rented by his Department.

Pat McFadden: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not own any of its office space. It is all leasehold.
	The area of vacant office space on the BIS Core Estate is 800 square metres with a current passing rent of £88,000.
	The area of occupied office space on the BIS Estate is 82,908 square metres with a current passing rent of £17,450,047, including VAT where applicable.

Departmental Domestic Visits

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many planned visits by Ministers in his Department within the UK were cancelled within 72 hours of the visit taking place in the last 12 months; and what the planned venue or venues were for each such visit.

Pat McFadden: Ministers' Private Offices do not retain this degree of detail and the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost but other Ministers and I are very conscious of the disruption cancelling visits at short notice causes and therefore seek to avoid doing so, and usually only do so in order to fulfil parliamentary business.

Departmental Food

James Paice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the quantity of food waste generated by his Department in each year for which figures are available.

Pat McFadden: During the period 1 January to 31 December 2009, the quantity of food waste generated on the BIS Estate amounted to 6.6 tonnes. This information is recorded by our contracted catering supplier.
	All food waste is collected and then used for the generation of renewable energy which is fed back into the national grid.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on maintaining its Twitter feed in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Pat McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Windsor (Adam Afriyie) on 9 November 2009,  Official Report, column 164W.

East of England Development Agency: Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the  (a) pay,  (b) pension and  (c) contract term of the Chair of the East of England Development Agency will be with effect from 1 April 2010.

Rosie Winterton: The EEDA Chair from 1 April 2010 will receive  (a) remuneration of £81,718 for three days per week,  (b) the option of receiving a pension under the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme by analogy and  (c) a contract term starting from 1 April 2010 to 13 December 2012.

Minimum Wage

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many individuals' wages increased as a direct result of the most recent uprating of the national minimum wage.

Pat McFadden: The latest estimates for the number of beneficiaries of the most recent uprating of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) are available from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). Using this data, BIS estimate that 980,000 job holders stood to benefit as a result of the most recent uprating of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) in October 2009.

Minimum Wage

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure all workers receive wages at a rate at least equivalent to the national minimum wage.

Pat McFadden: The Government are committed to ensuring that those who are entitled to the national minimum wage (NMW) receive it. We have introduced a new, stronger, enforcement regime to deter non-compliance and since April 2009 HMRC have helped around 14,000 workers recoup over £3.5 million of wage arrears. We are also working to increase wider awareness of the NMW for workers and employers through publicity and guidance on the Business Link website.
	The NMW is a key part of the Government's vulnerable worker strategy. Last year, the Government launched a £6 million, three-year information campaign to make sure that vulnerable workers are aware of their rights and of how to report abuses. As part of this, the Pay and Work Rights Helpline (0800 917 2368) simplifies and streamlines access to the workplace enforcement bodies, making it easier for vulnerable workers to report bad treatment at work.
	Further details can be found in the Government's 2009 non-economic evidence to the Low Pay Commission at
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file53073.pdf.

Minimum Wage: Preston

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of those resident in Preston have been paid at the national minimum wage rate since its introduction.

Pat McFadden: Data for earnings are not available at the constituency level because of small sample sizes at this level in the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE).
	At the Government Office for the English Regions level, the lowest available, DTI previously estimated that the number of jobholders that stood to benefit from the April 1999 introduction of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) in the North West region was 140,000. In 2009 the corresponding BIS estimate for the number of jobholders affected by the uprating of the NMW in the North West region was 134,000.

Minimum Wage: South West

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of people in the South West who have been paid at the rate of the uprated minimum wage in the last 10 years.

Pat McFadden: Estimates of the number of employees paid at exactly the National Minimum Wage (NMW) rate over time are not available at the Government Office Region level due to small sample sizes in the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE).
	However 2009 ASHE data can be used to estimate the number of employees paid at or below the NMW rate for the most recent year. Using this data, BIS estimate that 76,000 jobholders in the South West were paid at or below the level of the 2009 uprated NMW prior to its introduction.

Parents: Advisory Services

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what expenditure his Department incurred on  (a) publishing and  (b) marketing its Parent Motivator Guide.

Pat McFadden: The expenditure incurred in producing the Parent Motivators guide was £9,220. This includes £700 for design costs, £2,020 paid to the author and £6,500 for the development and marketing of the guide. The guide was published electronically and is available on the Directgov website:
	http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/@educ/documents/digitalasset/dg_183544.pdf

Parents: Advisory Services

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what fee was paid to Denise Taylor for her work relating to the Parent Motivator Guide produced by his Department.

Pat McFadden: Denise Taylor was paid £2,020 for her work on the Parent Motivators Guide.

Partnerships: Company Accounts

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons Companies House made the most recent revisions to its form for limited liability partnerships to change details of a member, LLP288c to LLCH01; and what information may be provided through the revised form which could not be provided before its introduction.

Ian Lucas: Limited liability partnership legislation was changed from 1 October 2009 in line with new legislation brought in for companies (The Companies Act 2006).
	The amended legislation includes new requirements for companies and LLPs. On form LLCH01 company directors and LLP members are required to provide a service address and residential address, a county or state of usual residence and any former names which have been used in the course of business. There are also different requirements for corporate officer appointments such as their registered number and where they are registered. This means that forms 288c and LLP288c are no longer applicable. Companies House revised the forms to align with changes in the legislation.

Royal Mail: Privatisation

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on what dates  (a) the Secretary of State,  (b) he and  (c) his Department's officials have made an assessment of market conditions relevant to the part-privatisation of Royal Mail since 1 July 2009.

Pat McFadden: holding answer 18 January 2010
	The Department has been continuously monitoring market conditions. Our assessment remains that current market conditions would not enable the Government to secure a partner for Royal Mail, through a minority share sale, on terms that would be value for money for the tax payer.

Slough

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to the Slough constituency, the effects on Slough of the policies and actions of his Department and its predecessors since 2000.

Rosie Winterton: Since 2000, the policies and actions of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (and its predecessors) have focused on building a competitive economy and on delivering prosperity and sustainable economic growth. The implementation of BIS policy in Slough, has been taken forward primarily by SEEDA and GOSE, working in partnership with the local authority and other relevant bodies.
	Examples of how BIS policies and actions have impacted on Slough include:
	Levels of skills have significantly increased in Slough since 2000(1).
	Performance at level 2 has increase from 62.6 per cent. to 67.1 per cent.
	Performance at level 3 has increase from 41.2 per cent. to 44.5 per cent.
	Performance at level 4 has increased from 23.9 per cent. to 26.4 per cent.
	The stock of VAT registered businesses has increased from 3,090 businesses in 2000 to 3,645 businesses in 2007(2).
	The proportion of business registrations (including VAT and PAYE) per 10,000 resident population aged 16 and above has increased from 46.2 in 2002 to 69.3 in 2008(3).
	The number of business creation has also increased from 435 new businesses registering for VAT and/or PAYE in 2002 to 655 in 2008(4).
	The percentage of small businesses showing growth in employed has increased from 10.53 per cent. in 2003 to 15.18 per cent. in 2008(5).
	(1 )APS-Annual Population Survey data.
	(2) Extracted from NOMIS, source: BERR-VAT registrations/deregistrations by industry.
	(3) Data produced by BIS and available on the BIS website:
	http://stats.berr.gov.uk/ed/national_indicators/index.htm.
	(4) As above.
	(5) As above.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Billing

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in November and December 2009.

Michael Foster: The percentage of invoices from UK suppliers paid within 10 working days of receipt by the Department for International Development (DFID) was 97 per cent. in November and 96 per cent. in December.

Departmental Buildings

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in plans to co-locate his Department's offices overseas with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office offices in  (a) Abuja,  (b) Bridgetown,  (c) Delhi,  (d) Dhaka,  (e) Kabul and  (f) Jerusalem.

Douglas Alexander: The progress made in plans to co-locate oversees offices of the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in the locations requested is outlined in the following table. Co-location is the preferred option for both DFID and the FCO and each proposal is assessed on financial and non-financial elements with a focus on achieving best value for the Government.
	
		
			  Locations  
			  (a) Abuja DFID decided to remain in the existing office on cost grounds. However, in order to provide flexibility, the design of the new High Commission is being taken forward to allow future co-location should circumstances change. 
			  (b) Bridgetown FCO put on hold proposals for a joint DFID/FCO building due to the expected project costs and other estate priorities. 
			  (c) Delhi DFID and FCO are proceeding with refurbishment of the current High Commission building to enable co-location. Advanced design work is currently underway. 
			  (d) Dhaka Design and Planning works are complete for building work to enable co-location. 
			  (e) Kabul DFID are co-located with the FCO in Kabul. 
			  (f) Jerusalem Design work on a joint DFID/FCO building is at an advanced stage. However, building work cannot start until land ownership is established for the site.

Departmental Food

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the quantity of food waste generated by his Department in each year for which figures are available.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not made any estimates of the food waste arising from our departmental estate.

Departmental Internet

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which websites his Department's staff are blocked from accessing on departmental networked computers.

Michael Foster: In line with best practice the Department for International Development blocks access to numerous external web sites which are known to present a potential security threat to DFID's computer network or are deemed to present an additional risk or contain unsuitable material.
	Information related to blocked sites is restricted and cannot be released for security reasons.

Departmental Procurement

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2010,  Official Report, column 435W, on international development: mandatory exclusions, if he will publish a list of the organisations and individuals which are excluded from contract awards made by his Department because they have been convicted of fraudulent or corrupt activity.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not maintain a list of organisations or individuals excluded from contract awards, rather the Department makes appropriate checks in relation to each contact in line with the Public Sector and Utilities Procurement and EU Directives.

Departmental Surveys

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will place in the Library a copy of the results from his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the total cost of the survey was.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) will publish its October 2009 staff survey results on the DFID website in early March 2010. Following publication we will place a copy of the results in the Library.
	ORC International carried out the survey. Their services were procured by the Cabinet Office to deliver the first cross-civil service people survey. The people survey replaced all existing staff surveys in the civil service.
	The final cost of the 2009-10 people survey for DFID is expected to be approximately £50,000. By procuring a single supplier for staff surveys in 2009-10, the civil service has saved 35 per cent. on the total cost of staff surveys in 2008-09.

Non-governmental Organisations: Finance

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will require non-governmental organisations in receipt of partnership funding from his Department to publish information on the projects on which such funding is spent.

Michael Foster: Partnership Programme Arrangements (PPAs) are provided to achieve organisational outcomes, agreed between the Department for International Development (DFID) and the relevant partner, as opposed to specific funding for individual projects. All PPA holders are required to produce an annual report of progress made against these agreed outcomes, which are published on the DFID website.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many armoured cars have been purchased with funds from his Department for the use of the UN Relief and Works Agency in Gaza since January 2008; what the total cost was to his Department; how many such vehicles have entered Gaza; how many are stored awaiting permission to enter Gaza; and what the cost to his Department has been to date of such vehicle storage prior to their delivery to Gaza.

Michael Foster: The Department of International Development (DFID) donated three armoured cars to the UN following the conflict in Gaza. These arrived in Israel during January 2009. The UN Relief and Works Agency took responsibility for the clearance of the vehicles into Israel. Two of these vehicles entered Gaza in June 2009. The third car has been transferred, with our agreement, to the World Food programme, which expects to transfer it into Gaza in the next month.
	The cost of the vehicles was approximately £320,000 and DFID has also spent £101,000 on freight and handling costs. The UN is liaising with the Israeli authorities on storage costs. DFID has not paid any storage costs to date.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Departmental Billing

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in December 2009.

Joan Ruddock: 90.7 per cent. of invoices were paid within 10 days of receipt in December 2009.

Departmental Internet

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what expenditure his Department incurred on  (a) strategy and planning,  (b) design and build,  (c) hosting and infrastructure,  (d) content provision and  (e) testing and evaluation for his Department's websites in 2008-09; and what budget has been allocated for each such activity in 2009-10.

Joan Ruddock: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 13 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 1045-6W.

Departmental Public Consultation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many  (a) citizens' juries and  (b) summits have been hosted by his Department since June 2007; on what date each such event took place; and which Ministers were present at each event.

Joan Ruddock: None.

Eaga

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funding is available to Eaga under the Warm Front scheme to provide emergency assistance to households in which a boiler or central heating system has failed in extreme weather conditions.

David Kidney: Warm Front is not designed to provide an emergency service and therefore no separate funding is provided in this respect. Everyone that applies to Warm Front does so because they are on a low income and/or have a disability. That means that everyone that applies is dealt with as swiftly and efficiently as possible and will be regularly contacted by the scheme manager, Eaga, advising them of the progress of their application. However, an immediate need for heating is met by arranging for temporary heaters to help customers until a more permanent heating installation can be completed.

Eaga

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what targets there are in respect of the time taken by Eaga to complete boiler or central heating installations in circumstances in which a boiler or central heating system has been classified as unfit for use; and what factors Eaga takes into account, with particular reference to the needs of elderly and other vulnerable groups, in setting timetables for the completion of such work.

David Kidney: holding answer 18 January 2010
	Once an installer has been allocated to carry out recommended heating work, eaga is contractually obliged to ensure that this is completed within 120 working days.
	The scheme is extremely popular, particularly during winter. Everyone that applies to Warm Front does so because they are on a low income and/or have a disability. That means that everyone that applies is dealt with as swiftly and efficiently as we can.
	Where possible, however, an immediate need for heating is met by arranging for temporary heaters to help customers until a more permanent heating installation can be completed.

Warm Front Scheme: Lewes

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households applied for grants under the Warm Front scheme in Lewes constituency in each year since the inception of the scheme.

David Kidney: The following table indicates the total number of applications to the Warm Front Scheme received in Lewes each year to date.
	
		
			   Referrals received 
			 2000-01 377 
			 2001-02 438 
			 2002-03 269 
			 2003-04 466 
			 2004-05 447 
			 2005-06 279 
			 2006-07 449 
			 2007-08 624 
			 2008-09 746 
			 2009-10(1) 568 
			 (1) To 12 January 2010

Warm Front Scheme: South Tyneside

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people have received a grant under the Warm Front scheme in  (a) Jarrow constituency and  (b) South Tyneside in each year since the inception of the scheme.

David Kidney: The following table shows the number of households who have received assistance from the Warm Front scheme in  (a) Jarrow constituency and  (b) South Tyneside in each year since the inception of the scheme.
	
		
			  Number 
			  Assisted households  Jarrow  South Tyneside 
			 2000-01 408 774 
			 2001-02 970 2,042 
			 2002-03 408 1,169 
			 2003-04 538 1,104 
			 2004-05 386 730 
			 2005-06 236 625 
			 2006-07 366 779 
			 2007-08 617 1,154 
			 2008-09 413 825 
			 2009-10 (to 31 December 2009) 433 593 
			 Total 4,775 9,795

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Adoption

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many adopted children of each age at the time of approval for adoption waited  (a) less than six months,  (b) more than 66 months,  (c) more than 72 months and  (d) more than 80 months to be adopted following the decision that adoption was in their best interest in each year since 2001.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 18 January 2010
	The number of looked-after-children adopted in the years ending 31 March 2001 to 2009 and who had waited  (a) less than six months,  (b) more than 66 months,  (c) more than 72 months and  (d) more than 80 months to be adopted following the local authority's decision that the child should be adopted, by the child's age at the time of that decision, is shown in the tables, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries.
	The figures shown for the time between the local authority's decision that the child should be adopted and the date of the adoption are cumulative. For example a child that is included in the 'Over 72 months' category has also been included in the 'Over 66 months' category.
	Once a child is placed for adoption with approved prospective adopters it is for the prospective adopters to decide when to apply to the court for an adoption order. The child has to live with the prospective adopters for 10 weeks preceding the application. This period is included in the time provided in the tables.

Children: Day Care

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many registered childcare places there are for children under the age of eight years in Nottingham North constituency.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the number of registered child care places is not available below local authority level.

Children: Nutrition

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department has taken to promote healthy options for children when choosing their lunch at school.

Diana Johnson: In order to help promote healthy options for children when choosing their lunch at school the Government have commissioned the School Food Trust to undertake a wide range of activity.
	The trust supports schools and their catering providers in interpreting and implementing the regulations for school food and has produced guidance and resources concerning the marketing of healthy food.
	In addition, to encourage children to eat healthily, there are a range of activities to help children and parents who want to choose healthier school lunches. These include the Million Meals campaign, the School FEAST scheme, the Really Good School Dinner initiative, MADGe-an on-line tool to allow the development of marketing material-and the national programme, Let's Get Cooking.
	The School Food Trust also provides advice and support to schools which ranges from the procurement and marketing of food, the efficient use of kitchen and dining spaces, the encouragement of stay-on-site policies within schools, as well as a guide to the whole school approach. It also works closely with Healthy School's leads in schools and local authorities; healthy eating is one of the four key themes of the joint DCSF/DH Healthy School Programme.

Departmental Advertising

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department has spent on the Parent Know How service in each year since it was established.

Dawn Primarolo: The Parent Know How programme was launched in 2008. The programme supports a suite of family services delivered through telephone helplines, online digital services and print media. The services are delivered by a range of third and private sector organisations. Since its launch they have together supported 2.5 million families.
	The following information sets out how much has been spent on Parent Know How services. It also includes £4,100,000 for local authorities to purchase new database systems as part of the Parent Know How. The figures include capital and revenue funding and are rounded to the nearest 1,000.
	2008-09-£15,506,000
	2009-10-£15,147,000

Departmental Food

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the quantity of food waste generated by his Department in each year for which figures are available.

Diana Johnson: No figures are available for the quantity of food waste generated by the caterers for the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Departmental Surveys

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will place in the Library a copy of the results from his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of conducting the survey was.

Diana Johnson: The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) will be publishing its October 2009 staff survey results on their website in February. Following publication we will place a copy of the results in the Library.
	The supplier for the (DCSF) staff survey in October 2009 was ORC International who were procured by the Cabinet Office to deliver the first cross-Civil Service people survey. The people survey replaced all existing staff surveys in the civil service with a single questionnaire.
	The cost of the 2009/10 People Survey for (DCSF) was £27,000. By procuring a single supplier for staff surveys in 2009/10 the Civil Service has saved 35 per cent. on the total cost of staff surveys in 2008/09.

Health Education: Nutrition

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to promote healthy eating by children.

Diana Johnson: Healthy eating is an important part of good physical and mental health and achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Ensuring that children, young people and their families have the information, advice and support they need to make healthier choices in what they eat is a long-standing priority for the Government. Our approach is about not just giving advice, but providing healthy food in schools and other settings. We have made significant progress in the past 12 months to build on the work to date.
	Statutory nutritional standards for lunches provided in schools came into force for maintained primary schools in September 2008 and for maintained secondary and special schools in September 2009: this means that lunches provided in all maintained schools must now meet these standards. Food served in other parts of the school day or from vending machines must also meet statutory food-based standards. The proportion of children having school lunches has started to rise and parents can be confident that their children are eating a healthy, nutritious meal at school. The School Food Trust, as the Department's delivery partner, is working with schools and local authorities to promote and encourage take up of school meals, and we continue to ensure that pupils aged four to six receive a piece of fruit or vegetable every day through the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme. Cookery classes are already part of the curriculum in primary schools and pupils in key stage 3 can now take up the offer of the Licence to Cook programme: all pupils now get the chance to learn to cook healthy meals. The highly successful cookbook Real Meals-Simple cooking that tastes great, produced by this Department and made available to all year 7 pupils, was updated and re-launched in December 2009. This new edition contained a wider range of recipes, and accompanied by the Real Meals-cold food cookbook, also produced by the DCSF, which provides recipes for picnics and days out. All recipes were produced by the British Nutrition Foundation and meet the required nutrient standards. In addition, 99 per cent. of schools are now participating in the Healthy Schools Programme and healthy eating is a core criterion for achieving healthy school status.
	We are also helping parents gain the skills they need to prepare and cook healthy meals at home. In January 2010 we began piloting the train-the-trainer programme Cook4Life 'Cooking with Families' in the North West and South West regions. This pilot will give Sure Start Children's Centre staff the skills to enable them to run cookery courses in their centres which will help parents learn food preparation and cookery skills for use at home. We have also funded the Health, Exercise and Nutrition for the Really Young (HENRY) programme to disseminate good practice in Sure Start Children's Centres on healthy eating and exercise, which is being well received.
	In January 2009 we launched the social marketing campaign Change4Life to encourage us all to eat well, move more and live longer. Over 415,000 families have joined the campaign and receive information and advice tailored to their needs. Change4Life is primarily aimed at families with children aged between five and 11. To support families with younger children, in October 2009 we published a Change4Life Early Years toolkit for practitioners working with younger children. Start4Life, launched in January 2010, provides authoritative and up to date advice to pregnant women and parents of babies and children up to two years old on breastfeeding, introducing infants to solid food and active play so that babies can have the best start in life.
	We have also revised the Birth to Five, the NHS guide to becoming a parent and finding practical help and support on various issues, including diet and nutrition for children, which is given to all mothers. There is also an online version which features interactive tools and videos for new parents.
	Health visitors and other community nurses and practitioners play a vital role in helping to ensure that children and young people benefit from good nutrition. Through the Healthy Child Programme for the first five years of life health visitors and others promote exclusive breastfeeding, the introduction to solid foods and the development of good eating habits, such as the importance of eating fruit and vegetables as promoted through the Five a Day campaign from infancy onwards. In October 2009 new guidance for the important review which takes place after a child's second birthday as part of the programme was published. Also in October 2009 the Secretaries of State for Children, Schools and Families and Health launched the Healthy Child Programme for five to 19 year olds to stakeholders. This programme also emphasises the importance of healthy eating.
	We are also helping families make healthier choices in the food they buy in shops and restaurants through the work the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are taking forward with industry to implement the Healthy Food Code of Good Practice as set out in Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: One Year On. In addition, we are continuing to work with the Association of Convenience Stores to roll out a project across England to promote fruit and vegetables in stores in deprived areas, using the Change4Life brand.

Playgrounds: Standards

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent guidance his Department has provided to local authorities on the area to be provided per child aged  (a) five to 11,  (b) 11 to 16 and  (c) over 16 years at educational establishments for outdoor play.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government have not issued guidance to local authorities on the area to be provided per child for outdoor play. The Government's planning policy on open space, which includes the provision of land for outdoor play, is contained in Planning Policy Guidance Note 17, 'Planning for Open Space, Sport and Recreation'. This states that local planning authorities should set their own local standards for the provision of different types of open space, taking account of factors such as the demographic profile and extent of existing buildings, residential and commercial development in their area.
	The Government published 'Aiming High for Young People: Ten Year Strategy for Positive Activities', in 2007. Backed by over £900 million of investment, it sets out plans to help all young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to take part in enjoyable and purposeful activities in their free time. As part of the strategy, myplace is delivering £270 million of Government capital investment in world class youth facilities as part of a 10-year commitment to deliver new and improved youth facilities in every constituency by 2018. Aiming high supports local authorities in their duty to secure access to positive activities for all young people.
	An extensive consultation, 'Fair Play', was undertaken by the DCSF in April 2008 with children, young people and parents on play facilities. The national Play Strategy, launched in December 2008, set out the Government's commitment to invest £235 million to deliver 3,500 new or refurbished outdoor play areas, plus 30 staffed adventure playgrounds, by 2011. This funding is allocated to every top tier local authority in England and intended to support play for all ages, but with a particular focus on eight to 13s. All local authorities are required to develop a strong understanding of local levels of need for outdoor play facilities as part of their decision-making on how this capital investment will be spent, and are supported in this process by the Government's national delivery partner, Play England. The views of local children, families and residents are a vital part of these considerations.
	Non statutory guidance; 'Embedding the Play Strategy', will be issued to local authorities in February 2010 to help children's trusts and local strategic partnerships plan their local play offers and improvement programmes. This guidance recommends ways for local partners to determine how much and what kind of outdoor play provision they might need.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his Department's definition is of a disadvantaged pupil; who decides whether a pupil should be categorised as disadvantaged; and how many pupils were classified as disadvantaged in Shrewsbury and Atcham in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009.

Dawn Primarolo: For the purposes of tracking the educational progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils, and for monitoring our progress towards narrowing attainment gaps, we use eligibility for free school meals as a proxy for disadvantage.
	Other measures of disadvantage, such as the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index, are used for other purposes.
	In 2007, 1,210 pupils were registered as eligible for free school meals (and therefore classified as disadvantaged) in Shrewsbury and Atcham. In 2008, 1,230 pupils were eligible and in 2009 the figure was 1,180.

School Meals

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what factors are required to be taken into account in deciding on school lunch menus in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools.

Diana Johnson: All local-authority maintained primary, secondary and special schools must meet both the food-based and nutrient-based standards for school lunches. Interim food-based standards for school lunch came into effect from September 2006. These were replaced by final food and nutrient-based standards in September 2008 (primary schools) and September 2009 (secondary schools). There are sample compliant menus on the School Food Trust website.

School Meals

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate his Department has made of the number of children under the age of 16 years who  (a) had lunches provided by and  (b) took packed lunches to (i) primary and (ii) secondary school in (A) England, (B) Leicester and (C) the East Midlands in the latest period for which figures are available.

Diana Johnson: The Department does not count the number of pupils that have a school meal but we do know the percentage of children that take a school meal from information collected by the School Food Trust.
	Take-up figures as percentages of pupils are as follows:
	
		
			   Primary schools  Secondary schools 
			 England 43.9 36.0 
			 Leicester City LA 38.4 32.9 
			 East Midlands GOR 36.4 35.7 
		
	
	These figures are the latest figures and are for 2008/09. The 2009/10 survey is due to start at the end of March.
	The Department does not collect information on how many of the remaining children have a packed lunch brought from home.

Schools: Collective Worship

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools in Wiltshire education authority have  (a) applied for and  (b) been granted exemption from holding religious assemblies.

Diana Johnson: The Department does not hold this information centrally.

Sure Start Programme: Preston

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) Sure Start centres and  (b) early excellence centres have been established in Preston since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: Sure Start children's centres were introduced from 2003-04, all former Early Excellence centres are now Sure Start children's centres. Prior to this there was one Early Excellence centre created in Preston local authority area, based at Stoneygate nursery school.
	There are 28 designated Sure Start children's centres in Preston local authority area, offering services to approximately 19,200 children under five and their families. Of these, seven are situated in the Preston constituency, reaching 5,174 children. There are no further centres planned for Preston.

Teachers: Manpower

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) teachers and  (b) school support staff were in employment in schools in England in each year since 1997; and what the pupil: teacher ratio was in each such year.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested for 1997, 2001 to 2009 is published in tables 1 and 17 of the Statistical First Release (SFR) 'School Workforce in England (including Local Authority level figures) January 2009 (Revised)' published on 29 September 2009. The SFR is available at the following web link:
	DCSF: School Workforce in England (including Local Authority level figures), January 2009 (Revised)
	The information requested for 1998 to 2000 is published in tables 1 and 17 of the Statistical First Release (SFR) 'School Workforce in England (including pupil:teacher ratios and pupil:adult ratios) January 2007 (Revised)' published on 27 September 2007. The SFR is available at the following web link:
	DCSF: School Workforce in England (including pupil: teacher ratios and pupil: adult ratios), January 2007 (Revised)

Youth Task Force

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many staff are  (a) employed by and  (b) assigned to the Youth Taskforce.

Dawn Primarolo: There are 18 staff employed by the Youth Taskforce. In addition there are three staff assigned to the Youth Taskforce on secondment.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

Mark Hunter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of the air travel industry on the application of the higher rate of air passenger duty to premium economy seats.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Bradford and Bingley

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the minutes of each meeting which led to the decision to nationalise Bradford and Bingley.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Child Tax Credit: Preston

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Preston were in receipt of child tax credit on the latest date for which information is available.

Stephen Timms: The latest information on the number of recipient families of child tax credit, by local authority and parliamentary constituency, is provided in the HM Revenue and Customs snapshot publication, Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Geographical Analyses December 2009, available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

Council Tax: Valuation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency uses data from its council tax banding support tool in appeals against council tax banding.

Ian Pearson: Yes. The council tax banding support tool is used to help with all cases where an existing council tax band is to be reviewed, including appeals.

Fuels: Prices

Paul Beresford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average forecourt price was of standard  (a) BS-EN-590 diesel and  (b) 95 RON unleaded petrol in July 2008.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: According to statistics from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the average UK pump prices for July 2008 were 132.26 pence per litre for diesel, and 118.76 pence per litre for petrol. Weekly average UK pump prices are available online at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/source/prices/prices.aspx

Members: Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when a reply will be sent to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood's letter of 29 October 2009 to the Financial Secretary on Asghar Khan, Treasury PO Ref: 3/11525/2009.

Stephen Timms: I have replied to the right hon. Member.

Non-Domestic Rates: Garages and Petrol Stations

Paul Beresford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the amount of revenue from petrol retail outlets which the new business rate will generate in 2010-11.

Barbara Follett: I have been asked to reply.
	No estimates of the revenue from petrol stations' business rates or that of any other category of hereditament have been made. Business rates bills contain not only transitional relief but all other reliefs, some determined at the billing authorities' discretion. It is therefore, not possible to estimate the bill of a hereditament, and, consequently, that of any category of hereditaments.
	For the purpose of modelling the 2010 Transitional Relief scheme, the Notional Chargeable Amount (NCA) was calculated. The NCA for a given year is the product of the rateable value and that year's small business multiplier. The NCA is then compared to the previous year's reference value increased by the caps. The minimum of these two values was used as a proxy for the bill after transition but before all other reliefs. Details on the methodology and assumptions used can be found on page 49 of the 'The transitional arrangements for the non-domestic rating revaluation 2010 in England' consultation document. These include an assumption of zero inflation, which does not reflect the latest information available. There is also an adjustment for appeals.
	A copy of the consultation document is available at the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/nndrrevaluation2010
	The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and the 2010 revaluation will not raise a single extra penny for Government. Over 1 million properties will see their business rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation.
	In the last five years, alongside rising petrol prices and increasing turnover, the rents paid on many petrol filling stations has grown. It is only fair to all ratepayers this is reflected in rate bills. The Government have put in place a £2 billion relief scheme to limit the impact on business properties facing increases, which means that in 2010-11 no petrol station will see its rates liability rise as a result of revaluation by more than 3.5 per cent. for small properties and 11 per cent. for large properties.

Non-Domestic Rates: Garages and Petrol Stations

Paul Beresford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much business rate revenue was generated from petrol retail outlets in  (a) 2006-07,  (b) 2007-08 and  (c) 2008-09.

Barbara Follett: I have been asked to reply.
	This information is not held centrally.

Origin Marking: Israel

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2010,  Official Report, column 768W, on imports: Israel, whether the issuing authority is different from the authority providing the original designation of origin.

Stephen Timms: There are a number of regional Customs offices in Israel which are authorised to authenticate preference certificates. When a claim to preference is verified, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) write to the Tax Authority in the Israeli Ministry of Finance. That authority contains the Israeli Customs Department and is responsible for collating, checking and responding to verification inquiries. Therefore, while the office responsible for verifying a particular preference certificate may be different to the one which issued it, the issuing and verifying authorities are the same.

Origin Marking: Israel

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2010,  Official Report, column 768W, on imports: Israel, in how many cases there has been doubt over the place of production and verification has been requested from the issuing authority in Israel.

Stephen Timms: In the period 2007-2009, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) asked the authorities in Israel to verify a total of 65 preference certificates. Two of the certificates related to irregularities identified as a result of HMRC's physical examination of fresh produce at the time of importation. The remaining certificates concerned potential problems identified as a result of HMRC's routine examination of documents accompanying claims to preference under the EU-Israel Agreement. To date there have been no cases identified where doubt has existed over the place of production of imported cosmetics. HMRC continue to closely monitor such imports.

Origin Marking: Israel

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2010,  Official Report, column 768W, on imports: Israel, what recent reports HM Revenue and Customs have received on checks by the European Commission that the Israeli authorities record the actual place of production rather than a head office on the proof of origin.

Stephen Timms: As part of fact finding missions, an objective of which was to gain on the ground information about the operation of the 2005 Technical arrangement in which the Israeli's are required to insert the place of production on proofs of preferential origin, officials from the European Commission's Origin Unit visited Palestine and Israel in the spring and autumn of 2009 respectively. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has not received any reports of the findings of those visits. Neither has it received any notifications from the Commission of products being wrongly labelled.

Rodents

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment Natural England's Wildlife Management and Licensing Service has made of changes in levels of the rodent population in the last three years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I have been asked to reply.
	No such assessment has been made as this is not one of Natural England's functions.

Tax Allowances: Preston

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of businesses in Preston which have received 100 per cent. tax exemption in respect of the purchase of computer and internet-related equipment.

Stephen Timms: It is not possible to identify tax reliefs at the level of detail requested. However, an estimated 95 per cent. of UK businesses who invest in plant or machinery (including in computers and internet-related equipment) will have their expenditure wholly relieved from tax by the Annual Investment Allowance (AIA), which provides 100 per cent. relief for such investment up to an amount of £50,000 each year.

Tax Allowances: Railways

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons the capital allowances for railway assets will be decreased to 10 per cent. in January 2011; and what assessment has been made of the effect on the rail industry of this decision.

Stephen Timms: No change is being made to legislation. From the outset the exemption for the rail industry from the long life assets regime for capital allowances has been time-limited. Thus, expenditure incurred after 1 January 2011 on railway assets which have a life of greater than 25 years will be subject to the standard long life assets' rate of 10 per cent.
	We would not expect the expiry of the exemption, known about since 1997, to have a significant impact on the rail industry, where long-term operating costs are factored into the long-term investment decisions that are typical in this sector.

Taxation: Unleaded Petrol

Paul Beresford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of taxation was on standard 95 RON unleaded petrol in July 2008.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The main fuel duty rate in July 2008 was 50.35 pence per litre. Historical duty rates are available on HM Revenue and Customs' UK Trade Info website at:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bulloil

Unemployment: EU Countries

William Cash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account he has taken of reports of the level of joblessness in the eurozone in November 2009 in his most recent assessment of the EU's economic performance; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The forecast for euro-area GDP growth, published in Table A1 on page 138 of the 2009 pre-Budget report, reflects the Treasury's assessment of all relevant economic developments.

Valuation Office: Geographical Information Systems

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's eLearning guide for its geographical information system.

Ian Pearson: The VOA is in the process of developing an e-Learning programme for its geographical information system. The planned date for completion of the programme is June 2010, after which a copy will be deposited in the Library.

Welfare Tax Credits: Hemel Hempstead

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit claimants in Hemel Hempstead constituency there were in each year since the scheme began; and how many such claimants have been  (a) underpaid and  (b) overpaid.

Stephen Timms: Estimates of the average number of families with tax credit awards, including information on the annual number and value of tax credits overpaid and underpaid by parliamentary constituency, from 2003-04 to 2007-08, is available in the HM Revenue and Customs' publications Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards. Supplement on Payments. Geographical Analyses, available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have had their tax credit payments suspended due to overpayment in  (a) each county in England and Wales and  (b) Hemel Hempstead constituency in each year since 2005.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is available only at disproportionate cost due to the work required to extract it from HM Revenue and Customs' systems.